Autumn Stars
by Tekno Danish
Summary: there's something strange about autumn to sora, and something stranger about the stars during that season. little does she know HOW strange, and how life-changing the autumn will really be... be warned, 'tis SORATO... {FINISHED (yeah, finally...)!!}
1. the Stars

Okay, I think that this is gonna be the first in a really long series so, in order to understand most of this, pretend that Sora doesn't have a dad. Also, it helps if you're in the mood just for something strange. Well, I think that's it—sorry to anyone who gets confused! I'll try and make a prologue or something soon! ^_^

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Throwing on her thickest and warmest coat, Sora Takenouchi slowly opened the front door of her tiny, yet comfortable apartment to let the autumn air wash over her. She took in the deepest breath her lungs could hold and exhaled, already feeling refreshed from the crisp, cold air she knew and loved. 

Autumn had always been the best time of year in Odaiba for taking walks and Sora, always being rather smart, had decided to take advantage of it. As she slowly closed the door behind her and locked it, rather than taking the elevator, Sora decided she might like to walk down the stairs. The elevator was always far too cramped and stuffy, it always deprived her of the fresh air her lungs had chosen as their 'air of choice'. The stairs, however, not only let her breathe the needed air, but also provided her with a rather sufficient workout that she felt she so desperately needed. 

She hummed to herself as she trotted lightly down the steps, not exactly able to place the tune on her lips. As far as she knew, the song had never had any words, but it was one she had known for as long as she could remember. 

Before she had realized it, she had approached the last two steps, the same two she had sworn, since she was little, never to touch. Thinking to herself, she skipped the cursed steps with surprising ease, recalling the childhood tale of the two monsters that lived underneath the stairs, only coming up to eat small children who happened upon their steps. Sora, being nearly fifteen now, had learned that this had only been a tale told to frighten and mystify young minds, such as hers had been not very long ago. None the less, habit had always kept her away from those steps, just as habit had kept her away from many other things.

"Hey, Sora!" a voice suddenly greeted from behind, taking the young orange-haired girl by surprise. Knowing the only way to find out who the speaker was, was to turn around, she did so, and found a pair of icy-blue eyes as her reply.

"Yamato!" she said excitedly, recognizing her long-time friend, "What are you doing here?"

The blue-eyed boy blushed at this as long strands of his golden hair covered his face.

"Uh…Actually…" he muttered, obviously having trouble with what he wanted to say. Sora, noticing this, attempted to encourage him.

"Yamato, you can tell me anything, you know that!" She offered a smile to the boy, who blushed even harder at her kind words. Finally, he let out a long sigh, and shook his head.

"Ah, it's nothing," he said, putting the subject aside, "Would you like to go for a walk with me, Sora?" The orange-haired girl thought about the offer for a moment, though she really needn't have done so. The boy continued to look imploringly at her, "It's a beautiful day out," the boy commented, glancing sideways at his friend who, in turn, gave him a wry smile.

"It is a beautiful day," Sora agreed, "And it would be a pleasure to walk with you, as always." The blond boy grinned and tried to hide the look of triumph on his face. To Sora's surprise and delight, the boy offered his arm to her, but not without a very gracious bow first. She giggled softly and took the offered arm, and they began to follow the sidewalk.

"So, where to, madam?" Yamato asked, putting on his most formal voice. This caused the girl to go into a fit of giggles, which she could hardly control. Seeing her friend acting so different always put her into a strange mood, a mood she liked. After managing to get her laughter under control, she replied to his question. "Any where's always fine, as long as we stay outdoors. On a day like this, I'd have a fit if we were to stay stuck inside."

Yamato nodded his head knowingly at her comment. "It's the same for me on days like this. Fall is my favorite season and I feel obligated to spend every moment I can basking in its glory." 

"Fall is my favorite season as well," the girl agreed, while Yamato shot her an odd look.

"Funny," he said dryly, "I'd always pictured you as more of the summer type. I never pictured you as the one for cold weather. What makes this season more special to you than any of the other seasons?"

In return for his comment, Yamato received an odd stare from his brown-eyed friend, who shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I should ask you the same thing." She abruptly released his warm arm from her grip and focused her attention on her feet. Her friend sighed audibly and shoved his gloved hands into his pockets.

"I apologize if I offended you at all," he said a unenthusiastically, almost monotone, "If it at all interests you, I've always loved fall simply because it brings along with it this feeling that I always find…almost irresistible. I realize how corny that must have sounded…What about you? Why do you like the fall?" 

Sora took a moment to think about this. In reality, she had never really thought about an exact reason as to why she loved the season. It had always just been her favorite, no question. It was as if instinct had told her to like it from the beginning, and the love for it had become simple habit. Yamato coughed impatiently, momentarily bringing her away from her thoughts. 

She waved a hand at him in response, signaling that she was trying her hardest to think. Delving deeper into her thoughts, she suddenly recalled a certain memory. It was very blurry, yet she could just seem to remember…it was the autumn, she was certain it had to be, for the leaves were golden and they surrounded her. However, it seemed to be nighttime, for the stars were playing in front of her in the sky. They sparkled for her, just for her, it seemed, and she loved them for it. She spun in a circle and closed her eyes, and when she had stopped spinning, her finger had landed on the one, brightest star in the sky, and she smiled. She'd make a wish on it, the same one she always seemed to land on every night, her special star. Her wish was the same as always, something she'd wished for as long as she could remember—she wanted a father. Her father, the one her mother rarely ever spoke of, yet the girl knew she was deeply in love with. The star would reply with a twinkle, almost she could hear it say deep in her heart that, maybe someday… 

"Yoo hoo!"  


Sora was brought abruptly back to reality by Yamato's hand waving furiously in front of her face. She blinked hard, trying to figure out what had happened. Apparently, from what she could see, she had just about fallen off the edge of the sidewalk and into a large, deep puddle, before Yamato had snapped her back. 

"Thanks," she said breathlessly to her friend, "I guess I just kind of spaced out for a bit."

The boy nodded to his friend with a concerned look in his eyes, though he tried his best to hide it. He shoved his hands in his coat pockets again, deciding to resume his walk. Sora stood behind for a bit, watching her friend as he nearly disappeared around a corner without her.

"Yamato! Wait, up!" she called after him as he turned to face her. The look of concern that had been in his blue eyes was replaced by one of pure friendliness. Once she had caught up to him, he offered his arm to her again, trying his best to play the part of the perfect gentleman. Sora took the offered arm again, this time more grateful for the warmth that it was bound to provide her. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sora hadn't thought it would be possible, but she had ended up spending the entire day with her friend. They had wandered aimlessly the entire day, only stopping to get some lunch (which Yamato had so graciously paid for.), and now. 

They were in the park now, long after the sun had hidden its shining face, to be replaced by his sister the moon and her children, the stars. Sitting on a park bench, they gazed at the stars together, sitting close to conceal what small bit of warmth was left between them. 

They had talked of many things that day; it had been unusual and rather awkward whenever a silence lapsed between the two of them, so immediately a new conversation would spring up, and they would feel at ease with each other again.

But, only now, a silence had come between them, each of them deep into their own thoughts. They could hear every sound around them; every drop of moisture that fell off the leaves, the low whistle of the cool wind as it rustled the fallen leaves. Sora could even hear the slight clinking sound as Yamato fingered whatever was in his pocket. She ignored these sounds; however, pushing them back into her mind until she could only hear the one thing she had been intent on.

It had been a long time since they had last spoken to her and she, them. They were not at all angry with her, though. _Stars can live for millions of years_, they explained to her in her heart. _We can wait longer than you think. Besides, it really hasn't been that long—a season or two? _

Sora almost laughed at hearing the stars again, but remembered that Yamato was sitting next to her and kept silent.

__

It has been a very long time, in my heart, The girl responded silently,_ A few seasons is a long time for a human._

We understand, Dear Child, the stars said, then Sora could suddenly feel their gaze shift from her, to the blond-haired boy beside her. _Who is this with you? _They asked excitedly and began to sparkle. _We've never seen you gazing with anyone but your mother! _

Sora smiled to herself and could feel her cheeks burn. _He is a friend; his name is Ishida Yamato. _

Is he nice? By human standards, at least?

Of course! The girl replied matter-of-factly. _Why would I choose a friend who wasn't so? Yes, he is very kind and loving, even to your perfect standards. I'd love you to talk to him, but I don't think he would have the ability to communicate with your kind. I'm sorry…_

Don't worry about a thing! Her friends reassured her. _Any friend of Sora's is a friend of ours, for sure! _

Thank you…Sora replied, when her conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Yamato's voice. 

"Sora…" he said, a note of hesitancy in his voice. Sora took no notice of this, however. She was too occupied with being angry with him for cutting off her conversation with her friends. A little voice suddenly poked her in the back of the head, after a moment, telling her that he didn't know what he had interrupted and that it didn't matter anyway; it was fall now, so she could talk to them every night for as long as she wanted. No big deal.

"Yes, Yamato?" She responded, letting out her small bit of anger in one, short sigh. She suddenly noticed how red her friends usually pale face had gone, as he continued to finger the thing in his pocket nervously. 

Sighing with sudden resolution after taking moments of thought on a very impatient Sora's time, he looked his orange haired friend straight in the eye and pulled out whatever had been in his pocket—Sora guessed—the entire day.

She gasped when he presented it to her, realizing after several moments of staring that what she was looking at was a purple, velvet box, about he size of the entire length of her hand. 

"Wh-what's this…?" she meant to say, yet her words became lodged in her throat to come out as only a croak. She could almost feel the heat coming from the boys maroon colored face as he opened the velvety box to reveal something that made the girl's heart nearly skip an entire beat.

"It-its' a necklace," the boy muttered, stating the obvious, for indeed, it was a necklace; a most beautiful one, at that. It was all silver—everything was silver, the long chain, the trim around the pendent. The actual pendent was not silver, but a dark, almost silky color that almost perfectly matched the same sky they had been watching that whole night. It was all in the shape of a heart that, to Sora's delight, was almost exactly like her crest of love. In the center of all that beautiful glory was a single diamond, that seemed to sparkle as bright as her beloved stars. After observing it for as long as her eyes could stand, the girl carefully removed the necklace from it's box so she could feel it in her hands, make sure it was actually real. 

To her amazement, it was.

"Yamato…" she breathed, surprised to find that there was actually air remaining in her lungs. "This must have cost you an absolute fortune! I can't accept this…"

Shaky hands suddenly took the precious piece of jewelry from her grip and slowly moved behind her, to place it around her neck.

"You're right, it did cost me quite a lot," the boy quivering voice sounded from behind her as he put the tiny clasps together at the back of her neck. "But it was worth it, if only to see that look on your face. I wish I would have thought ahead and brought a camera, but I wasn't really planning on actually going through and giving this to you."

He finished tying the necklace and took his seat beside her again, trying his best to avoid the girl' s searching eyes. 

"But, Yamato, why—" the question caught in her throat as Yamato gave her a mysterious-looking glare.

"Do you really have to ask?" he said icily, "Why can't a guy just make a kind gesture these days without being questioned? Why can't anybody just ever accept anything without ever making me feel like a complete criminal? I bought you a necklace, is that okay?!" All this had come out far more harshly than he had actually intended, and more to reassure himself rather than bring his friend close to tears, like he had accidentally done.

"I'm sorry, Yamato," the girl apologized, her eyes stinging with an oncoming flood of tears. "It's so nice of you to do this, I shouldn't need to say anything, should I?" she tried to sniff back the flood, but to no avail. A few tears had begun running down her cheeks even before Yamato had time to react, and when the few tears turned into a flood, all the boy could think of to do was take the crying girl into his arms and try to calm her down; calm himself down, as well.

"Sora, I'm so sorry," the boy said in calmest voice he could produce in his nervous state. "I was just so scared and everything when I gave the necklace to you, I got kind of nervous when you started asking questions. If it really means anything to you, I'll explain why I got it for you if you stop crying."

The girl did as she was asked, but did not move from the warm comfort she had found in his arms. The boy didn't really care; he actually rather liked the feeling of having her in his arms. It gave him a sense of warmth and security that he was certain she could feel as well. He gave a long sigh before he chose to speak again.

"Actually, it was about three months ago that I saw the necklace," he started, noting the sudden silence that surrounded him and put a strange feeling at the bottom of his stomach. "I was out to go get something for my dad, I can't remember what, when I saw that shop window. For some reason, the curtains in the window and the whole feeling that place seemed to put out attracted me in there; I completely forgot what I was supposed to do. I simply stumbled in there, probably looking pretty stupid. That place had a certain type of aura that seemed to put a spell on me, or something. All I can remember once I got in there is seeing the necklace there way in the back, almost buried under a whole pile of other stuff. It didn't have the box, but was in a type of display case that had been shoved way back and forgotten. The store clerk asked me what I was looking for, and I said that I had wanted to look at the necklace. He didn't say anything, just nodded and took it out for me to look at. Immediately I knew that it was perfect for you—I didn't know why. So, I saved up for a while, not really knowing that I was actually going to go through and buy the necklace until today."

Sora was surprised to hear him stop there—she had expected something much different. 

"Yamato?" she said, making sure it was alright to talk after such a long story. He loosened his grip around her a bit to look her at her properly. 

"Sorry that was so long," he apologized, blushing, if it were actually possible, harder than ever. She smiled weakly at him, clutching tightly to the new treasure that hung around her neck. He attempted to return her smile, but failed, and instead looked as if he were about to be sick. In his eyes, however, Sora could see that he was happy that she had accepted his gift, no matter how reluctant she had seemed.

They sat in silence for a very long time after that, occasionally looking away from the night sky to glance at each other, only to look away again at the sight of the others eyes on them. Sora noticed once as she glanced side long at her friend that his azure-blue eyes perfectly reflected the stars and moon, and she became lost in them. For maybe a few seconds, she managed to tear her gaze away from his blue eyes to study his other features. Her eyes skimmed over his face and lingered for a moment on the pale, golden hair on his head, only to realize that, within a second, her gaze was back on the pale night sky reflected in the boy's eyes. Her gaze only stirred when she could feel a strange kind of itch that almost seemed to be inside her head.

__

It's impolite to stare like that: your eyes might pop out all over and make a mess on that boy of yours!

Sora smiled and looked up to the sky, realizing quickly that her friends, the stars, had come back to talk to her._ Sorry, _she said quickly, knowing what the stars had said to her had only been a joke to greet her. _Have you been watching this whole time?_

She could hear their vibrant star laughter; the kind of laughter that only stars could do to lift your heart. _No the entire time, necessarily, _they said falsely, _although we did see the boy give you that thing around your neck. We think you called it a neck-something?_

A necklace, the girl replied, a slight redness creeping onto her cheeks. She twisted the necklace chain around her fingers, becoming shy for a moment.

__

He's very nice, just as you said. We wish we could communicate with him. 

Sora smiled at her friends and nodded understandingly. Yamato, noticing this as he glanced over at her, wondered to himself. He'd always found his friend quite a mystery, just as he did now as he watched her nodding and smiling up at the sky. He looked up to where she was looking, and noticed, for the first time, how bright the stars were—unnaturally bright. 

Shaking his head to rid it of any strange thoughts, something struck his mind without warning. He recalled the conversation he'd had with her earlier that day, and the fact that she'd never answered his question suddenly began to bather him. He sighed and decided that he would bring up the subject again.

"Sora," he said quietly, and could see that the sound of his voice had startled the girl, as if he'd interrupted something. She averted her attention away from the sky, giving her blond haired friend a smile that sent shivers up his spine, though he didn't know why.

"Yes?" she responded, giving him her full attention as he leaned back into the bench, putting his hands deep into his pockets.

"Do you remember the question I asked you earlier today, when I asked you why you loved the fall so much?"

Sora recalled the memory perfectly, without having to search her thoughts for it. She nodded and blushed a little, wondering what her friend might have to say about it.

"Well," Yamato said, raising his eyes to the trees around them, "you never answered my question. I asked what you loved about the fall, and you kind of spaced out for a little bit, then never answered my question."

Sora was only a bit surprised at what her friend had said. She hadn't expected him to remember something as unimportant as that, and I took her a few moments to respond. Stating up at the sky, the stars shined at her, almost telling her what she should say. She hadn't ever really given any thought to the matter; her love for the season had almost always been kind of an instinct, almost. 

She noticed the look of impatience creeping onto her friend's face as he waited and, without thinking, the boy's blue eyes had forced her into a response. "It's because of my father," she replied, not exactly sure of what she had just said. Brows furrowed in a genuinely concerned expression, Yamato believed that that was all he was ever going to get out of her about the subject. He knew that Sora's father was "gone", and he did not feel like bringing anything else up. 

Glancing at his watch, Yamato gasped. Sora raised and eyebrow at him as she looked down at her own watch—it was nearly midnight! 

"Sora," Yamato said, a hint of urgency in his voice, "I think I better take you home. I don't want your mother to worry."

She nodded in agreement, thinking for a moment about what might greet her when she got home. Knowing her mother, Sora guessed there must have been at least a hundred police men out searching for her. She sighed and rose from the park bench she had been sitting on, as Yamato offered her his arm. She took the offer with a warm smile to her friend, and he blushed almost unnoticeably. Fingering the new piece of jewelry that hung limply around her neck, she and her blond-haired friend started on the short journey home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the orange-haired girl opened the door to her apartment, she was surprised to realize that it was completely deserted. Her mother was no where to be seen or heard. Where could she be…?

"Everything okay, Sora?" A voice said quietly from the doorway. Sora spun around to face Yamato. She nodded a yes and hugged him good-bye, thanking him again and again for the wonderful day and the beautiful necklace, promising, as the blond-haired boy left, that she would never take it off. Sora noticed the boy's cheeks go pink as she shut the door behind him, and she smiled with satisfaction.

Returning her thoughts to her mother, Sora quickly scanned the house for a note of some kind. After a few minutes of searching, however, Sora decided that there was nothing to be found. 

"How strange…" Sora thought aloud, "Mom never goes anywhere without telling me first."

Knowing that just wondering where her mother had gone would do her no good, Sora thought it best to simply go to bed. She was sure her mother would be alright; if she weren't, she would have felt it, somehow. She'd always had a strange kind of connection with her mother, one that only got stronger as they became closer. 

She quickly slipped on her pajamas and climbed into her bed, fatigue suddenly creeping over her. She hadn't realized how tired she had been earlier, with so much on her mind. Although she still had thoughts spinning around in her head, they were becoming fewer by the second, and her tired brown-red eyes began to close. The last thing she could remember before slipping into the peaceful arms of sleep was the feel of the necklace chain against her skin. At the thought of Yamato she smiled, and drifted slowly into dreams.

* * * * * * * * 

Well, what does everybody think? I've finally decided that this will indeed be the first of several other parts in my pathetic series. I probably should have written a prologue before writing this part; it probably would have made a lot more sense, huh? Sorry if I confused anyone. I'm such a crappy writer, I'm surprised I even bothered to put this up. But, please be kind and review. Should I give up this story right here and focus on something else, or should I hurry my lazy arse with the next part? Please help me out by telling me! ^_^

__


	2. Memories

Hello! I'm back! Yes, it did take quite a long time to get this finished….and this is only the second chapter…::sweatdrop::…for anyone who might be keeping track of the story: I'm soooooo sorry this took so long! I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can…anyways…r/r, please! I'll love you forever! ^-^!!

* * * * * *

The wind gently caressed the woman's pale face, also pulling loose a few strands of dark auburn hair. Using her shapely, slender fingers, the woman pushed the loose strands into place thoughtlessly as she stared into the dim night sky, wondering. How long had it been since she had been here last? It had to have been more than two seasons—she hadn't been there since the first day of fall the year before. Such a long time, it seemed…Since she had last seen his face…

It had been nearly thirteen years, the woman remembered, her throat suddenly becoming tight with the threat of an oncoming flood of tears. No, she wouldn't—she _couldn't _cry. He wouldn't have wanted her to do that; his death would be no loss, he had always said, for he knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. His death would be no loss, for he had left the woman a daughter to pass on the love she had felt for him to the new child. 

She recalled the name he had given her: after the sky he had loved and longed for so much, he had named the small girl Sora. The woman wondered of her daughter realized the significance this name possessed. The sky had meant so much to him, it was his life and his passion; she wondered if her orange-haired offspring realized this. She knew nothing of her father, the woman knew. She was so young when the man had passed away; it had had no real affect on the infant, who had just recently grown into a young woman. This young woman is what the auburn-haired woman lived for, now. Her husband and love was gone forever; she had to keep her promise to him to pass on her love to her daughter—_their_ daughter…

The soft wind that had been going abruptly changed into a roaring howl, nearly knocking the dark-haired woman off her feet. It was telling her to go home, to where she belonged with her daughter. She sighed and nodded her head in agreement with the pleading wind. A graveyard at one o' clock in the morning was no place to be…she had to let him go…

Placing a final rose upon the grave of her husband, the woman turned to the gates and left, not even looking back once. She had to stop mourning over the past—her daughter was what was important now. Only Sora was important…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sora was startled awake by the sound of her alarm clock—a sound that, first thing on a Sunday morning, could set your teeth on edge and make your ears ring. This, however, is what the orange-haired girl had woken up to every Sunday morning for nearly five years, so she was somewhat used to it. Today was the day she would help her mother with the flower shop. 

Slipping tiredly from the warmth of her bed and covers, the girl sauntered groggily to her closet and opened it. Quickly deciding what she wanted to wear—a light pink skirt with a plain white shirt—Sora effortlessly slipped them over her head, deciding that a shower could wait until she got home. Working in the shop always got her messy, so what was the point of washing before hand? This had been her theory for as long as she could remember, and she giggled to herself at the thought of it. Fall always brought her back so many memories she'd thought she'd lost a long time ago, and she couldn't seem to figure out why…

Pulling a gray sweater over her head, the girl's hand suddenly brushed against something hard and cold…and she blushed. It was the necklace that Yamato had given her the night before. She tucked the necklace back into her shirt where she was sure her mother would not be able to see it, and she quietly walked through the hallway to the kitchen, where the delicious smells of breakfast met her nostrils. 

Her mother leaned over the stove, diligently preparing what Sora guessed was going to be an amazing breakfast. She seemed to take no notice as her daughter entered the room, and only turned around when she was addressed directly by her. She mumbled a good morning, barely audible, and continued to stir away at the food she had in the pan. There was a moment's silence when suddenly Sora recalled the night before when she had come home to a mother who wasn't there. 

"Momma," she said cautiously, as her mother continued to cook. "Mom, where were you last night?"

The dark-haired woman stopped stirring for only a second, but then took up again, pretending not to have heard her daughter. Of course, she had every right to know where she had gone, but this didn't mean that the woman would tell her. It didn't matter to this girl, even if she was her daughter. It was for her own good that she didn't know.

The orange-haired girl opened her mouth to try again, when suddenly a sound met her ears. Someone was knocking on their door.

Knowing that her mother was most likely not going to see who the visitor was, Sora heaved a long sigh and slouched toward the entryway. Who could possibly be at their apartment at nine o'clock in the morning?

Sora's question was answered as she swung the door open to reveal a somewhat awkward-looking Yamato. In his hands, she observed, he fingered a pink scarf—her pink scarf. She quickly recalled the other day asking the blond boy to put her scarf in his pockets for her; her own pockets weren't big enough. A moment of silence came between the two.

"Hi, Yamato," Sora greeted politely, "Is there something… you needed?"

Yamato looked down at the wool scarf sheepishly and held it out to her, indicating that she was to take it from him. "You forgot this yesterday." He stated simply, his cheeks going slightly pink. As she took the scarf from him, her face went red also, for she could feel her fingers touch his, slightly, as she pulled it gently from his grasp. Another silence followed, neither of the two knowing exactly what to say having suddenly lost all their manners.

"Sora, who is it?" Mrs. Takenouchi's clear voice could suddenly be heard from inside the tiny apartment. Sora looked inside curiously, wondering why her mother had suddenly decided to speak only now. Still, she turned to her blond friend and offered him a smile.

"Yamato," she said quietly, "Would you like to come inside?" He looked at her questioningly, glancing cautiously into the apartment. The girl giggled. 

"Don't worry, Yamato!" she said brightly, "My mother won't mind. Besides, I'm sure she'd love to meet you—she always loves to meet my friends."

Having only been slightly reassured, the boy followed her into the cramped apartment, realizing instantly that it was almost identical to his own. She closed the door behind them and told the boy to stay in the entryway while she talked with her mother. He nodded in response as she walked nimbly through a doorway to where, Yamato guessed, was the kitchen. He took his time waiting for her to return to observe every bit of the small room his eyes could reach. Pictures were scattered almost endlessly about the walls, nearly all but a few featuring only Sora and her mother. 

"Yamato," Sora's head suddenly appeared from the doorway, and she signaled for him to enter. He gave yet another nod and followed. Immediately as he entered the kitchen, delicious smells entered his nostrils, delighting and tempting him. He closed his eyes instinctively, blocking out every one of his senses but smell, just so he could savor every last bit of flavor. When he heard laughter, his eyes sprung open and he could feel his cheeks go pink. In front of him stood Sora's mother, who, to his amazement, looked nothing like her daughter. Her dark, auburn hair was pulled tightly into a traditional bun, and her deep brown eyes sparkled excitedly. 

"So," she said, her smile revealing rows of shiny white teeth, "You must be Sora's friend."

Yamato stood almost dumbfounded for a moment—he had never have even imagined such a beautiful woman to be Sora's mother. He nodded slightly after recognizing the woman's comment to be a question, and his orange-haired friend cocked her head at him curiously as her mother continued to smile. 

"Breakfast is almost ready," the woman said after a short silence, "Would you care to join us, Yamato?" The blond boy stood in silence, looking stupidly at his friend for assistance. The girl merely shook her head and grinned, grasping her mother's arm in her own. 

"He'd love to join us, Mom," she said and led the woman to a seat at the table, then proceeded to serve up the finished food. The dark-haired woman smiled at her child's actions and motioned to Yamato to take a seat. He did so, though slower than he usually would have done. In the presence of the woman, every day actions seemed to take far more thought than would have usually been necessary. Sora giggled inwardly as she watched her friend, knowing what had come over him would last only momentarily. She knew that her mother had that sort of effect on all people, not just men, and it always made the girl laugh to watch their reactions. 

They sat through breakfast silently, only speaking when it was necessary. In fact, the only time anyone seemed to speak was when Sora brought up the subject of the flower shop, and how much work she and her mother would have to do that day. At his friend's words, the blond boy automatically volunteered to help them, not knowing exactly why. A feeling in his brain told him that he was doing it just to be closer to the orange-haired girl, but he ignored it. 

And so, after having eaten and cleaned up their breakfasts, the three left for the flower shop, each intent on the bright day ahead of them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sora had to leave the shop early that day, complaining that she was feeling ill. 

Immediately Yamato became concerned; becoming sick was certainly not something Sora Takenouchi was known for. Before the orange-haired girl's mother could say anything, he offered to take her home, and she relented. Someone had to watch the shop, and Yamato was certainly not qualified to do so. 

The dark-haired woman had taken an almost instant liking to the blond boy and was sure that her daughter would be safe in his care. This did not stop her from worrying, however, for she realized, like Yamato had, that getting sick was not something her daughter did often, if ever. And in this season…

She shook her head of any negative thoughts and turned to face her daughter and her friend as they left the tiny shop for home. The dark-haired woman suddenly realized how tightly Yamato's arm was around her daughter; it seemed more like a protective gesture than a natural one to hold her up. In fact, the look he wore on his face seemed to say something—she didn't know what. 

Shaking her head once more, the woman turned back to her work—watering flowers. She only looked back once to glance at her daughter through the window, who was now talking gently with her blue-eyed friend. 

"Yamato," Sora murmured, breathing in sharply, "I'm really fine enough to walk on my own—you should go back and help my mother." Her friend turned to her, an amused grin crossing his face that did not hide the concern in his eyes. 

"You're just saying that 'cause you think you're being weak," he responded, his grip on her shoulder loosening only slightly. "I told you're mother that I would take care of you until we got to your home. Can you deal with it until then?"

Sora nodded weakly and chose to stare at the sidewalk rather than bring up another conversation. She was just so tired…_I was fine this morning…_she told herself, unable to pinpoint the cause of her weakness. She continued to think it through, until even that began to take more effort than was necessary. Her mind became clouded with nothingness; all she could focus on was keeping her legs moving, and that was becoming harder with every step. It was as if her energy was being drained from her by something far more powerful than she was. She would have liked to be scared, but she was just too weak to even think about it…

Yamato caught her as her legs folded under her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

__

-The girl's laughter filled the air as he lifted her above his head. Her father, the man she had loved ever since she could remember. He was so kind and loving—how could anyone not adore him as she did? Of course, there were those few that thought—and claimed—that he was strange, but she didn't care. It didn't matter; at least not tonight. Tonight was the first day of Autumn.

Setting the orange-haired girl down on the moist grass, he turned his head toward the night sky and sat down beside the young girl. He nodded his head toward certain stars, and the girl pointed her fingers to them, memorizing them. They were her friends, she knew. At such a young age, she had already discovered that she could communicate with them, however poorly she spoke at the age of two. This never occurred to her as not being normal, for no one would ever know. Why share this with other people when she could have them all to herself? 

The girl giggled and turned to look at her father—but quickly discovered that it was not her father that looked back at her. Instead, her mother's deep brown eyes met hers as she enveloped the girl in a tight hug. Wondering to herself, the girl stood still as she felt a kind of wetness at the back of her neck—tears. Her mother's tears…but, what reason had she to cry? They had been so happy just a second ago; what could have happened to suddenly change that? 

The girl looked around and felt as if she had been slapped in the face with the sudden realization that she was no longer outside with her father. Instead, she was inside with her mother, who had been overcome with grief at her own discovery.

"I'm so sorry…" the woman sobbed, tears pouring down her pale cheeks. And at that moment, it became clear to the girl…she would never see her father again. She clung tightly to her mother as tears clouded her vision, and everything faded.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sora woke with a start, gasping for air, her face wet with tears. She hurriedly wiped her face with the back of her hand, using the other to punch the wall. Hard. 

"No!" She whispered hoarsely, not wanting to wake her mother incase she might be sleeping. "The dream again…" she pounded her fists furiously on her bed, anger seeping into her. "Why can't the past just leave me alone?!"

Without her noticing, hot tears had begun streaming gently down her cheeks. She continued to pound on her bed furiously, not caring about how much noise she was making. All she knew was that she had to make it go away. The feelings that she had whenever she had that dream—she couldn't let it continue. And at that particular moment, being angry seemed like the only solution. 

"Sora! Sora, what's wrong?" 

The orange-haired girl could feel someone's grip on her shoulder. Her anger stopped almost as suddenly as it had started. She left her hands to hang limply at her sides as tears continued to stream down her face. She curled her face into her knees so whoever had spoken would not be able to see her in her moment of weakness. She was just so ashamed of herself after acting like such a child—it was just a stupid dream, after all! How could she have let it get to her like that?

The hand touched her shoulder again, urging her to lift her head. She took a few moments to do so, wondering if she should comply. Yamato's azure blue eyes met her brown ones as she lifted her head and she gasped. She would have liked to just run then and there, had she not been feeling so weak…

"Sora," Yamato murmured, sounding far calmer than he had ten seconds ago. "Please, just tell me what's wrong."

The girl could feel her body shiver at the sound of his calm voice—it almost soothed her into talking. But, no, he would not understand. Her tears increased as she continued to stare into his pleading eyes; his eyes held so much concern—for her. 

Unable to withstand her sorrow anymore, the orange-haired girl threw her arms around the blond boy's neck and began to cry uncontrollably. 

Yamato nearly jumped up with surprise, but reminded himself that doing something like that would not be kind. Here in front of him was a friend in need of his comfort—he had to stay with her. Unable to think of a better way to comfort his friend, he wrapped his arms around her and rocked back and forth, as if he were cradling an infant.

"Sh…It's okay…" He whispered softly, stroking the girl's bright orange hair. As he did this, the girl became more at ease, and her tears lessened. Noticing this, the boy took it as an opportunity to speak to her more seriously. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath. This caught Sora's attention and she lifted her head off his shoulder, slightly, to listen to him. 

"Sora," he began, but abruptly found himself unable to speak. He had caught her gaze—the action had rendered him speechless. They sparkled, over-bright with her salty tears. As he stared further into the girl's brown eyes, he became aware of just how much sadness was in them and, for some reason he could not explain, he felt suddenly like vomiting. His stomach twisted in knots as he attempted to avert his gaze from her pleading, sorrowful eyes, but found that he could not. He became lost in that brown abyss filled with sadness. He would have done anything to take that away…deep inside himself, he knew that he was in love with this girl, and would have loved to have simply kissed all her tears away, telling her how much he loved her…and then everything would be better…

Ignoring his own feelings and emotions at that moment, he concentrated on the girl in front of him. He brought the orange-haired girl closer to himself in a warm embrace. "Sora, I don't know what's wrong," he whispered, his voice becoming too tight with emotion to do otherwise, "But, please don't be sad anymore. You don't know how much it hurts me to see you like this."

Sora had heard hardly anything her friend had said. She was already becoming tired again. Being in his arms had given her so much warmth and comfort, she hadn't the slightest clue as to why she was still crying. Immediately after hearing most of his request, she ceased her crying and held tighter to him.

"I won't cry anymore, Yamato," she responded tiredly, forcing back a yawn. She was so warm and comfortable, she would have given anything just to stay in his arms like she was forever, feeling safe…and almost loved. She closed her eyes again, almost able to feel the smile that had appeared on her friend's face…Almost unexpectedly, she fell asleep again, loosening her grip on Yamato's jacket. This surprised the blond boy only for a moment before he set her gently down onto her bed, pulling the covers over her sleeping form. 

He hesitated for a moment before kissing her forehead and stroking her hair one last time. In her sleep, the girl smiled and rolled onto her side, and something fell out of her shirt that had obviously been tucked in on purpose. The boy grinned to himself as he recognized the object to be the necklace he had given her only the day before. With this on his mind, he left the room.

A very worried-looking Mrs. Takenouchi greeted him as he exited the girl's room, whispering to him softly.

"She's sleeping fine, Mrs. Takenouchi." Yamato lied, not wanting to increase the woman's anxiety. At his reply, the woman's lips parted slightly into a small smile of relief, although her brows were still furrowed deeply with concern. She knew his answer had been a lie to reassure her—the tearstains on his shoulder were an obvious give away that something had occurred while he had been checking on her daughter.

Smiling reassuringly, the woman led him out of the tiny apartment, thanking him for everything he had done that day and the help he had given them so willingly. Waving to him as she shut the door, she sighed deeply, letting out all the stress she had received during the day. He would be back tomorrow, the woman was sure of it. Yamato loved her daughter with all of his heart, the woman knew it better than either of them did. 

He would be back tomorrow.

* * * * * * 

So……..how was that? ……Sorry, I know it really sucked. Bleh. I'd already had this finished about a week ago, but my dummassed brother deleted it. Then I had to go and retype everything so…gomen. Sorry it turned out completely rushed…just with band and all…yeah…so, tell me watcha think by using that little box down there. Go on, it's not too hard! Tell me how much I suck, why don't you?……Oh, sorry. I don't mean to be so negative all the time, it's just habit…damn, I'm bored now…I gotta go start on the next chapter….oh, btw, should I add some of the other characters somehow, or is the story going fine the way it is? I could really use some advice, I'm kind of…in a slump. So, yeah…BYE! =^o^= 


	3. Rain

It was raining again…

Hello! It's me! ::everybody present gasps:: Yes! I'm not dead! Surprised I got this done, finally? Me too. Sorry I've been so lazy to everyone who's been keeping track of my progress. I have so many excuses, I won't even bring them up. So, yeah! CHAPTER THREE IS NOW HERE!!! Aren't you proud? Agh! My wrist hurts from typing! So, I'm gonna stop! r/r! Thankies!! And, I apologize for the long-ness/boring-ness of this chapter! ^_^ have fun reading!! 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was raining again…

Yamato rose sleepily from his bed, his dreams rudely disrupted by the patter of the hard, Autumn rain outside his window. Usually he welcomed rain, but tonight had been different. So much had been on his mind; it had taken him nearly an hour to finally get to sleep—before the rain had disrupted it. Had it a neck, he would have liked to strangle it just then, for bringing him back to the land of the waking, also causing his thoughts to rush back to him relentlessly. He sighed and groaned deeply, becoming aware of how sore his arms and back were. 

"Probably from working too hard with the shop, yesterday," he muttered to himself, rubbing his sore neck and glancing at the clock from the side of his eye. He groaned deeper as he read the time: Three-thirty a.m. The perfect time to start a beautiful new day of school. Sighing audibly, Yamato knew that he would not be able to get to sleep again; not now that his mind was running, anyway. 

He walked sullenly across his small bedroom and opened his creaky door, doing so as quietly as possible. He did not want to wake his tired father who, sadly, had come home only and hour after Yamato had. The man worked so hard to provide for them both—he surely deserved some rest. 

His bare feet could feel the cold tile floor as he left the other carpeted areas of the apartment, sending shivers through his body. The night was far colder than he had remembered it being in quite a long time. He'd become so accustomed to the warm, summer weather that he had almost forgotten what Autumn felt like. Although, this night seemed to be far colder than he had ever remembered it being before.

The blond boy ignored this sudden chill and made his way—tiptoeing—to the refrigerator. A soft light filled the dark room as he opened the door and he watched it spread its fingers of light across the cold, linoleum floor. Turning his attention away from the silky beams of light, Yamato poked his head into he chilly refrigerator, not really intent on any certain thing. Truthfully, he was not really hungry or thirsty, and was merely in the kitchen finding food out of pure, innocent habit. 

Suddenly coming to the conclusion that he was merely thirsty, the blond boy stepped away from the chilly refrigerator and walked, almost silently, to the cupboard. Reaching a pale hand inside, he picked a glass and filled it with water from the faucet in the sink. He slowly tilted his head back as the glass came to his lips, water pouring from the glass and into his dry throat. Once the glass had been emptied, he set it down quietly in the sink and looked around the empty kitchen. His eyes wandered aimlessly about the deserted room, his eyes growing more accustomed to the darkness that filled the small apartment. 

The only lights in anywhere came from the streetlights outside the windows in the apartment, and Yamato's eyes followed them. The rain was visible on the window in shadows that were seen only through the thin curtains. The rain, though pouring terribly outside, landed softly on the glass of the window, glittering for a moment as it reflected the streetlights, then sliding down and forming larger shadows with the other drops. Without realizing it, the boy's feet had slowly shuffled over to the window as his hands stroked the thin, silky curtains aside to glimpse out to the outside. 

The world was silent. Though Yamato was still on the inside, he could almost feel the stillness of the world by simply looking into the darkness. The rain had begun to steady to a slow, almost rhythmic pace, now coming down in gentle drops. Without thinking, the blond boy's hand reached for the latch on the tiny window, flipping it upward and pushing up the windowpane with ease. The cold wind from the outside forced its way through the open window, it's icy fingers caressing the boy's pale face. The rain, also, decided it might like to come in, seeing as how the window was now open. It splattered against Yamato's clothes, slowly soaking into the dark fabric and disappearing. The boy stood shivering for a moment amazed at how quickly the steady rain and wind had changed from calm to violent. 

A sudden, strange curious feeling overtook the blond boy. Unknowingly, he had stuck his blond head out the window and looked around. The wind and rain beat against him worse then ever, trying to force him back inside. He ignored the sudden violence of the elements, his arms resting comfortably on the edges of the windowsill. His soft hair dripped with the rain that had fallen, and he watched it intently. The drops would linger, only for a moment, to the ends of a few strands of hair, as if the hair were some kind of lifeline. When it could hold no longer, it would drop down to the earth below, joining several other drops on the way. Yamato's mind wandered as he watched the falling rain, wondering about stupid things that one could only think about when desperately tired. As the rain fell on him, however, nearly soaking and chilling him to the bone, he became more wary and his thoughts became more complex. 

His eyes eventually wandered away from the rain on his hair up to the sky, the source of the droplets. It stuck him, suddenly, that he could not see the stars. The clouds were so thick that night that not even one single star was visible and, for some reason he could not explain, this saddened Yamato. After spending so many days in the past two weeks with Sora Takenouchi, he had become… accustomed to star gazing, which was something the orange-haired girl did nearly every clear night. 

The frown the boy had been wearing deepened as he thought of his orange-haired friend, knowing that she was probably sadder this night than he was about the stars not being out. He wondered if, by chance, his friend could maybe be awake, also. Perhaps she, too, had been wakened by the sound of the rain pounding on her window, and that she had gotten up to watch the rain as he had. That, maybe, she could be thinking about him as he was thinking of her…

Shaking his head to clear it of thought, the blond boy knew that something like that was only wishful thinking. Fresh rain fell from the locks of hair he had shaken, falling onto his already rain-soaked face and sending a slight chill down his spine. His brain acknowledged this chill as nothing as his thoughts continued to wander. He could have punched himself for focusing his thoughts on Sora—he'd been thinking about her too much, as it was. In fact, she was nearly all he ever thought about, lately. 

He'd already convinced himself that he was, indeed, falling in love with her. He didn't know what had triggered this sudden change in feelings for this girl that he had known nearly all of his life—if there ever really had been a change. He'd always known that he had felt something for her, but he had always just interpreted this feeling as friendship. How wrong he had been to think that… He'd always loved this girl and was just far too selfish and naïve to ever admit it, even to himself. Spending more time with her had made him realize just how far his feelings went for the orange-haired girl… and he could have kicked himself for it. 

Falling in love was probably the last thing Yamato would ever have wanted to happen to himself, no matter how glorified people made it sound. Love was only wonderful if the person you were in love with loved you back. The blond boy was more than sure that Sora did not. He knew that she felt at least something for him, but this feeling was only friendship, nothing more. Nor would it ever be anything more. 

A sneeze escaped the blond boy unexpectedly, causing him to drift back to his senses. He had hardly realized he'd even been with his head out the window, or what he had been thinking about. He pulled himself out gently, closed and locked the window, and rubbed his head, dazedly. He vaguely recalled a picture of a certain orange-haired girl but, being as tired and soaked as he was, he hardly knew what to make of it. 

Rubbing his head, he became aware of the state his clothes were in, and decided it best to get changed and attempt to get back to sleep. A yawn escaped his lungs as he trudged tiredly off to his bedroom, intent on a change of clothes and some sleep. Anything he had been thinking of just a few minutes ago had completely escaped him, he couldn't figure out why. Although, in the state he was in now, he could have cared less. It was probably better that he didn't remember, anyway, considering how strange his thoughts had been lately…

After changing into some new clothes and climbing into his bed, Yamato became aware of how dramatically the rain had softened. It was barely audible, now. It brought another silence with it, followed by a quick rush of thought. It was all very blurred and nearly disappeared as he rolled over on his mattress, but something seemed to kind of stick with him, even as he fell into a light sleep. 

Her smiling face greeted him in his dreams…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She awoke coughing profusely, finding it harder and harder to breath with every loud, wrenching cough. She leaned over the side of her strangely and suddenly uncomfortable bed, fearing that her lungs could suddenly fall out, along with her stomach. Her eyes began to tear up as the coughing continued relentlessly, causing her spine to wrench upward with every breath that she lost to the fit. 

After nearly five minutes, the coughing subsided, leaving Sora feeling dizzy and gasping for air. It had been like this for nearly two weeks. Sora had been feeling ill in every way possible for so long, yet she tried to hide it as best she could. There was no use having anyone being concerned over her, especially her mother, who seemed to be concerned about her nearly all the time, over nothing or anything in particular. Her mother was far too stressed and worried with other things to bother being worried over her own daughter any more than she already did. It was senseless, and the orange-haired girl did not want to be the cause of some pointless worry. 

When the girl had regained the necessary amount of air into her lungs again, she rose unsteadily from her bed and glanced at the clock. Nearly five in the morning, her mother would have already been at work. Sora had always thought it odd that, lately, her mother had been leaving for the shop earlier every week. The girl had certainly noticed a change in her mother, lately, but decided it had been nothing to worry about. For years, Sora had known how much strangely her mother acted in fall apart from other seasons, and she had long ago found the reason why. 

Long ago, the orange-haired girl recalled, she had had a father, who her mother had been deeply in love with. However, on some day during Autumn when Sora had only been a tiny child, her father had passed away. This had left her mother devastated, and, even as a young child, Sora knew her mother would never be the same, especially in this season. 

But this year seemed to be different. The usual mood the girl's mother usually portrayed in the fall was one of only slight sadness and an almost constant daze. This year, Sora had carefully observed, had been different from others. Her mother's sadness seemed to be replaced by a constant mourning that seemed to place an almost tragic air around the woman. She always seemed to be dreading something, though Sora did not know what. She decided, however, that she would not like to know. Her mother was a very mysterious woman, full of secrets and ambitions yet to be uncovered by someone, one day. Sora, having known her mother for her entire life, knew how stubborn she was. She would tell Sora nothing 'til the time was right.

Tipping slightly, the orange-haired girl made her way to the door, deciding that a drink of water might be the best thing after having a coughing fit like the one she'd had. The door creaked as she opened it, as quietly as possible at first, until she reminded herself that her mother was most likely not home anyway. She flicked on a few lights as she entered the kitchen, standing for a moment to adjust her eyes. Her mother was surely gone, for on the counter was another note. Picking it up tiredly, Sora skimmed through it, not really paying attention to what she was reading.

"Sora, sorry to leave so early. Please get yourself off to school all right. Have a good day. I'll see you tonight." 

Then she would sign it. Every day, it was the exact same note… Sora wondered why she continued to read it every day…

Tossing the note aside, Sora proceded to get herself some water. After doing so, she went sullenly back to her bedroom, intent on at least and hour more of sleep, if it was at all possible. However, before she reached the confines of her bedroom, something caught her eye. The rain was coming down hard outside the kitchen window, possibly harder than it had that entire night. For some reason, this suddenly made the girl curious and, without giving sleep another thought, she walked lightly toward the window. 

Pushing aside the curtains, the orange-haired girl stared intently out the window. She was surprised that the sun had not risen yet. In fact, there was hardly any light anywhere, as far as she could see. Sora's apartment building was located on the outskirts of the city, far away from the bright lights that others usually saw through their windows. The only light the girl really ever depended on was the moon and the--!

"The stars…" Sora muttered to herself, suddenly taken aback. "My stars… aren't out tonight… and soon it will be morning…" She could feel her spirit drop. Usually the rain was so inviting… during other seasons. Fall was not the time for rain—it couldn't rain! Fall was the only time she ever got to communicate with them. How was she supposed to talk to her friends if the clouds never went away? 

The orange-haired girl rested her elbows on the window ledge, then placed her chin in her hands. She watched the sky intently, again giving it a questioning glare. Why did it have to rain? She wondered this over several times in her mind, hardly noticing that the night was slowly slipping away, leaving her without a chance to talk to the stars, anyway. The only time it struck her that the day was approaching is when the streetlights outside her apartment abruptly flickered off in unison, signaling that the new day was nigh. Surprisingly, the rain began to slow, as if it were excited at the prospect of a new day itself. However, considering the fact that it was still Autumn, the morning was still dark and still. No cars passed, no dogs barked. Everything seemed utterly still on this new morning.

Taking her eyes away from the window to focus on a nearby clock, Sora became aware that it was nearly time to get ready for school. Giving the sky one last, resentful glance, she drew the thin curtains together and trudged away to her bedroom. It was only around six o' clock, but Sora always liked to be ready by seven. This was always so she could stop by the park on her way to school to watch the leaves from the trees fall. Other than the stars, Sora's favorite part of Fall had to be the falling leaves. They were always particularly beautiful, she observed, in the exact area she lived. It was her way of thanking them by admiring their beauty at every possible moment. 

The smell of roses and clean linen are what greeted Sora as she slid open her closet in search of her sailor fuku. Upon spotting the fuku, she unwittingly turned her nose up in disgust. She'd always hated the outfit, colored a disgusting shade of green that horribly clashed with her ginger-orange hair and a too-short skirt to match—she would have paid good money to burn the thing. However, after staring disgustedly at the suit for a while, she finally managed to pull it on. She knew that it wasn't too bad; once she had it on, she'd hardly be able to see it. It's what other people saw that worried her. 

The mirror had become slightly dusty overnight, and Sora was forced to use the sleeve of her fuku in order to see a reflection. As her eyes focused on the image she knew to be herself, she became aware of how horribly messy her hair had become. Taking the comb set upon the desk beside her, she pulled it through her orange hair, only slightly amazed by how easily any tangles or knots came undone through the force of her comb. She studied herself only for a moment before locating her favorite scent bottle and spraying it through the air. She carefully watched the mist as it floated down, then stepping through it, catching some of the scent on herself.

The rest of her morning preparations went by normally. The sky was still somewhat dark when she left her apartment, though there was enough light to see by. She closed the door gently as she exited, making sure to lock the metal door behind her. The morning was freezing, and vile winds bit at Sora from every direction. The comfort of a warm elevator seemed more promising than ever. The ride was short, however, and barely managed to warm more than Sora's fingertips. She shivered and clutched her coat tightly, determined to tough out the cold. She headed in the direction of the park nearest to her school. 

As she neared the park, leaves began to fall from every direction. The orange-haired girl watched them as they fell, occasionally falling onto her head or shoulder. Moist leaves would stick to her shoes as she walked, and she would not bother to kick them off. She found her favorite bench, after a while, and sat down. 

The girl nearly jumped from her seat as she felt a hand on her shoulder only after a moment of sitting. The person immediately apologized for startling her. She immediately recognized the voice and, as a natural reaction, she could feel her face begin to burn. Icy blue eyes met her own brown eyes when she turned around. 

"Morning, Sora," Yamato said warmly, and took a seat next to his orange-haired friend. She immediately turned her head away to hide the blush that was slowly making its way to her cheeks. Out of habit, her hand found its way to her neck and, from there, found the chain of a necklace. The necklace he had given her on the first day of Fall only a few weeks ago. She held the piece of jewelry in her cold hands and waited for the blushing to subside, then turned to her blond friend and returned his kind greeting. There was a moment of silence before Yamato decided to start a conversation. 

"What're you doing here, Sora?" he questioned, not really curious to know at all. He was surprised to have found her there, but it was a surprise that made him happy. He loved seeing her more than anything. After the night he'd had, her presence made him happier than anything, after having spent nearly half of that night wishing to see her. The smile on his face refused to go away. 

"I always come here," Sora responded, "Every morning before school, I come to watch the leaves." Yamato looked at her questioningly. 

"Is that so?" He asked, turning his gaze from his friend's wind-bitten face, to the trees. "Hm… You have some very interesting habits, I've noticed." Sora grinned at his comment. 

"So, you're saying that you're habits are normal?" she commented, glancing at him from the side of her eye. The smile on Yamato's face changed from a wide smile to a friendly smirk as he once again focused his vision on the orange-haired girl. 

"As normal as they come," he stated matter-of-factly, and Sora grinned to herself. She opened her mouth to retaliate, but the only sound that managed to come out was the chattering of her teeth. She quickly shut her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut, hugging herself tighter. Yamato immediately became concerned. The weather was indeed cold, but it couldn't have been that cold, could it? 

Her fingertips stood out from the rest of her hand, having become a bright reddish color while the rest of her skin stayed a pale, sickly tan. Upon instinct, Yamato reached over and took her frostbitten hands into his, and held them tightly. Sora would have liked to react, but as of then, it felt as if her entire body was being frozen. She didn't want to move, for fear that she might lose the bit of warmth she had collected. 

"Sora," Yamato muttered, "You're so cold!" reaching into one of the many pockets sewn into his jacket, he fished around for a moment before pulling out the desired object. Gently, he rubbed Sora's cold fingers before bringing out a pair of black wool gloves, and handing them to her. She stared at them blankly before realizing what was there. She took them quickly; almost greedily, and shoved them onto her hands without hesitation. She then allowed Yamato to continue rubbing them in his own, strangely warm hands. Within seconds, Sora's entire body had been warmed significantly, either from the blood warming up in her hands or some other sense in her body. She didn't know which, but she also didn't care. At least she was warm… and with Yamato. 

In the distance, a bell rang, signaling to the two teenagers that it was time to get going. And they did so, Yamato helping Sora up from the bench and, to her great surprise and delight, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, stating that he was only trying to keep both of them warm. This was only partly true, though Yamato dared not admit it. He knew well enough to admit to himself that he was in love with her; he had no need to let her know it. They walked slowly together in silence to school, both of them leaning close together to conceal warmth and, perhaps, something else.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The professor strode smugly to the front of the room, waiting in anticipation for the class to bow to him in unison, as expected. The class rose and bowed only half-heartedly, for this particular man was hated among many of the students. Displeased by their performance, the professor forced them to do it again, until the class could do it "respectively". They were forced to do it only once more, which was unusual. This happened nearly every day as that fat man strode into the classroom, and they were sometimes made to do the bow nearly four times 'til they got it right. It became almost a daily chore. One that was loathed in all ways possible. 

The students seated themselves, only a few still wearing grins on their faces. They would be wiped off soon enough, Yamato was sure. Only for the few devoted fans of the subject, the class was, in the very least bit, enjoyable. Yamato was not among them. For him, the subject, which happened to be Ancient Japanese, was among his most hated. The only way he found the class in the least bit tolerable was the fact that a certain orange-haired girl shared all his classes. 

He watched her intently now, sitting in her front row seat, giving almost her full attention to the fat man who stood in front of the class, now scribbling nonsense onto the black board. His writing was almost illegible; you almost had to squint to read it. Yamato was grateful, however, that most of what was written always came from their textbooks. As much as he hated the class, he was determined not to fail it, and that meant being able to understand what was said and instructed. 

The professor, having spent the last three minutes scribbling down impossible kanji symbols, grunted abruptly, meaning that he now wanted the classes attention. Few heads turned as he cleared his throat and directed a meter stick toward the board. 

"Take out your textbooks!" he nearly hollered, startling only a few afternoon sleepers. The class did as they were ordered. Yamato didn't have much in his desk to search through; somehow, his Japanese book always seemed to float up to the top of everything, begging to be read. He took it disgustedly from inside his desk, looked at the symbols scratched on the board, and flipped the pages to what he hoped he'd read as the right page. 

Immediately upon looking at the page, the title caught his attention. "Myths and Legends" is what it read, and this surprised him. The professor, earlier on that year, had mentioned that they would most likely be skipping over the entire chapter, as well as a few others that had seemed in the least bit interesting to anyone, including Yamato. Without second thought, his eyes began scanning over the pages; his ears ignoring the professor whose voice now jabbered on like a duck. In a way, the professor was much like a duck. This is one of the main reasons Yamato always chose to ignore him. 

His eyes scanned the page for a moment, before coming to a halt to where, in bold italic, the first legend began. "Lesson I: The Princess of the Stars". This title hardly caught his attention. It wasn't until he began reading that he became absorbed, almost instantly. 

"**_The legend is an old one, going as far back as ancient times." _**Is how the textbook read. It was followed by a small illustration of a woman with flowing black hair and silky white robes, looking up to the sky as small lights floated about her hands. Yamato was intrigued by it; it seemed oddly familiar. He read on. 

"**_Once, long ago, the universe was said to have been ruled by the Sun and his children, the stars. Although the Sun had many children, he had no one to rule under him when he was gone. So, he decided to have another son, who would be the one to take his place. When the day came that the new star would be born, he was enraged to discover that he had been given a daughter. In his rage, he threw her to earth—as a falling star." _**

A question was thrown into the story at about this point. Yamato ignored it and moved his eyes onto the next paragraph. 

**__**

"Upon landing on the solid ground of the earth, the star was, and would be, alone to raise herself. Nearby woods served as a shelter for her as she grew to a young woman. She never left the woods. It was always so peaceful; she didn't see the point in going out into the busy world. Near her forest was a kingdom that was ruled by a steadfast king. This king happened to have a son, who would often visit the nearby forest to find peace away from his kingdom, like the star did. It was the first day of autumn that he saw her on a trip to the forest, one night. She sat on a rock watching the stars as he hid in the bushes, watching her in awe. He was astonished by her beauty, and was soon drawn toward her. She took no notice of him until, also unnoticed by her, a tear slid down her cheek. The prince watched the glistening droplet before carefully wiping it away with his hand. She turned to him in shock, but did not run. The young prince fell helplessly in love with her, almost instantly. He knelt down beside the girl and took her hand, promising to come back every night to see her. The boy proved the next night that he would be keeping this promise for a very long time." 

The professor's duck-like voice forced Yamato's head to snap to attention, thinking that he was the cause of the disturbance in the fat man's voice. Upon looking up, however, he became aware of the student that stood, trembling, at the front of the classroom. Yamato shook his head for the student, for the duck they had for a professor always dealt out the worst punishments. He watched for a moment longer, then turned his attention back to the text he had been so absorbed in. 

**__**

"As the fall season drew nearer and nearer, the young prince noticed how absorbed his new, mysterious friend had become in the stars. Of course, she always was; over the time they'd spent together, she had taught him everything he now knew about them. Another thing he'd noticed-- the thing that concerned him the most-- was that her health was slowly slipping. She began to draw herself deeper and deeper into the sky, leaving no room for her own personal affairs. He offered her the chance to find medical assistance in his kingdom, yet she declined, claiming that she would be all right, because she was strong. 

He found it difficult to believe her as, one night as he came to visit her, she was even too weak to move her head to look at her precious stars. He stayed with her that night, making sure she would be okay. Eventually, he fell asleep and was only woken by a bright light that disturbed his slumber. He immediately found the source of the light. His friend, the star, was going up into the sky! She ascended higher and higher, so he was unable to catch her. A light surrounded her figure and the stars were shining brighter than ever. As he watched in fear, an object fell from above him; he caught effortlessly, and realized that it was a necklace in the shape of a heart. He held it, thinking dearly of his lost friend, unaware of the fact that he was also ascending until he was far above the earth. He closed his eyes fearfully, before his feet caught solid ground. Looking around, he gasped, unable to believe that all the fairy tales he'd heard about the place could be true." 

Yamato drew in a sharp breath, suddenly anxious for a reason he did not know. He managed to stay focused, however. 

**__**

"He was among the stars! Their realm, which had never been opened to any human before, had been opened to him! He stared around dazedly, when he saw her. She walked crookedly, and it pained him to watch her. He also wondered, to himself, what she could have been doing there, so he caught up to her and spun her around to look at him. He gasped painfully as he looked into her eyes, realizing that they were lifeless. Then it struck him—she was one of the stars that ruled the universe! One of the lifeless, emotionless stars that watched the earth under the rule of the Sun… she didn't belong there, like they did… 

Taking his friend by the hand, he urged her to come back with him. She did not respond. Instead, a booming voice, one the prince could only guess belonged to the Sun, spoke for her. The Sun explained that the prince's friend was a fallen star that had dropped to the earth by accident. They now wanted her back among them, where she belonged. The Sun also made sure to note that, if his daughter were ever to return to the earth, she would die at his bidding. The prince found it difficult to take everything into account, stating, to himself, that there had to be some way to take her back. He knew he could not part from her, believing that he would die himself without her. He loved her as far as his emotions would allow, he realized, and the Sun was touched by his words. 

The Sun became gentler as he spoke to the boy, telling him again that it was impossible for the girl to go back. She would surely die, unless she found some kind of life support. She was not human, and earth was not her home. The prince knew and understood this, but persisted, claiming that, if it were at all possible, he would be her life support. This puzzled the Sun greatly. The prince knew what he had to do and, without word to or from the Sun, he wrapped his arms gently around the emotionless girl whom he loved so dearly, and it immediately felt as if his entire life force was being sucked from him. The Sun ordered the boy to stop as he realized the situation—he was giving up his energy to bring the girl back to life! The prince ignored the Sun, reassuring him, while straining to keep upright, that they would both be okay, if he just let them go back to the earth together. 

"The Sun finally relented. He knew the prince loved the girl more than anyone ever could, and his realm was no place for them to stay. The prince held tightly to the girl as the bright light surrounded them once more, this time sending them to the earth. As their feet hit solid ground again, they both fell into a deep sleep that lasted for the rest of the night. When they awoke, they immediately took into account the night before, the prince filling in the girl on what had happened when she had been in her lifeless state. She embraced him, afterwards, claiming that she would never let him go again. And so, they stayed together for as long as they lived, Prince of Earth and Princess of the Stars. It was also said that, years afterwards, the stars continued to glow brighter than day, solely for the Princess."*

****

Yamato sat in silence, staring at the page that was now filled with questions. The story was over, and he was suddenly filled with emotions he was unable to explain. The story had close to no relevance in his life, yet it had struck him, hard. He closed the textbook silently, so the professor would not take any notice. He did not want to be tempted to read the story again; in fact, he wanted to forget it, with all his heart. Something had been important about it, yet he could not place what. He didn't want to know what. 

Ignoring what was going on around him, he set his head on the desk and breathed in deeply. A nap seemed rather promising, at that moment…

Unrealized by him, his orange-haired friend, positioned in a window seat at the front of the classroom, had been reading the same story. Like him, it had struck her hard, if not harder. She'd heard a similar tale from her late grandmother when she was little. Though the text book version had been far more choppy and less accurate then her grandmother's version, it had still had an impact; one that hurt. Memories of days long-gone swirled around in her head like a mess. She couldn't control them. With all the thoughts and memories floating around in her head, she began to feel dizzy. Well, perhaps that had not been the exact reason, but something was making her feel sick and dizzy. She held her head in her hands as she rested her face in her open textbook, intent on stopping the spinning that was getting faster. She closed her eyes as her vision became blurry, and she suddenly became angry at the fact that she had not seen something like this coming. She'd been sick for weeks; it had been stupid of her not to stay home even once. She could feel the world begin to disappear around her as her thoughts became further and further away…

The classroom went still as the orange-haired girl slipped from her desk, unconscious. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yamato tried everything to get out of school early that day. After seeing Sora fall, he knew he had to see her. He tried everything from faking sick to a fake appointment, but nothing worked. By the end of the day, he was about close to throwing up from anxiousness. He wasn't sure how he'd make it through any longer, when the bell that indicated school was officially out for the day chimed. 

He raced down the halls of his school, intent only on getting to Sora. He nearly had to push and shove his way out of the crowded school, his only focus, at that moment, being the orange-haired girl. Without stopping at his own apartment to drop off his things, he raced to his friend's apartment, which happened to be one of the farthest buildings from the school. His side had begun to ache from running as he neared the girl's apartment, and he only rested for a moment, attempting to locate his friend's apartment from the street. He then entered the elevator, making sure to press the button to the correct level. 

He reached her door, so impatient to see her that he almost forgot to knock. When he did, there came no reply. He tried the buzzer. No reply. Once again, then. Or, again… he sighed and decided it was hopeless. Perhaps her mother had taken her to the doctor, or… 

He had turned to leave and had taken a few forced steps, when a familiar voice called out to him. He turned to face Natsuko, Sora's mother. Her face was filled with relief when she saw his face, and she grabbed him by the wrist, urging him inside the apartment. 

"Yamato, I'm so relieved you've come!" she said, concern still apparent in her voice. "I was afraid to leave her by herself, but now that you're here…" her voice trailed off as she led Yamato to the kitchen, offering him a glass of water after noticing how red his face was from running. In the time Yamato had spent with Sora, he had also gotten close to Sora's mother, who now treated him like the son she never had. He smiled politely but refused the glass of water, asking cautiously if it would be all right for him to see Sora. The dark-haired woman nodded, trying her best to smile. 

"Actually, I'd like to know if you would stay with her while I'm gone," Natsuko said as they traveled down the narrow hall. "I'm afraid to leave her alone… but, I have to go out. It's important that I do…" 

The woman's voice quieted as she neared the door to Sora's bedroom, putting a finger to her lips in a signal for Yamato to be quiet as possible. He swallowed up a breath of air as he followed the dark-haired woman into the bedroom. Immediately he spotted his friend's orange hair through the darkness of the closed curtains. It hid the soft rain that was now falling outside, giving the room a serene mood. Sora slept peacefully on her bed, the covers tucked tightly around her body. Yamato only took his eyes off of her when Natsuko put a warm hand on his shoulder. 

"Yamato, will you stay with her?" The woman whispered, looking hopefully at the blond boy. He looked back at her, noticing, for the first time, the wrinkles of worry on her face. This was a woman with many worries and doubts, Yamato was sure. She needed all the help she could get… 

A reassuring smile crossed his face. "Of course I will, Ms. Takenouchi," he replied, his low voice almost nonexistent in a whisper. The dark-haired woman's worried face broke into a gentle smile, and Yamato recalled that, through the time he had known the woman, he had only seen her smile once before. He had done something great for this woman, and a sense of accomplishment spread over him like a plague. He smiled wider. 

"Do you need to call you father?" Natsuko asked, her own smile fading a little, but not so much as to be noticeable. The blond boy shook his head. 

"No, he's gone for the week," he replied. "I'm on my own for this week. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, anyway, if I stayed to care for a sick friend for a few hours. It's okay."

The woman smiled as she led him back to the kitchen, taking out paper and pen to write instructions and such, no matter how much Yamato tried to tell her he would be fine. She was just like her daughter, always so wrapped up in trying to help others that she ignored any protest that came her way. The boy smiled to himself and shook his head, almost laughing out loud at how amazingly similar mother and daughter were. 

He followed her to the door as she left, hurriedly putting on her walking shoes and a coat. She handed Yamato the instructions, assuring him once again that she would try not to take too long. Only a few hours, if at all that much. Then she was out the door. 

The blond boy watched the door for a few moments before heading back to the kitchen, deciding that the glass of water sounded rather tempting, about then. He then stopped himself, realizing that, through all the rush of talking to Natsuko, he had not asked where she was going. 

Deciding that it was not really important, he found himself the glass of water, finding it hard to swallow through the emotional lump of concern jammed into his throat. He then made his way to Sora's bedroom, intent on nothing but staying with her 'til Natsuko returned. The room was still dark when he entered, and the rain outside had become harder. It now nearly beat on the window, causing Yamato to worry that it would wake his sleeping friend. He had nothing to worry about, however, for Sora was sleeping as peacefully as a baby. He smiled to himself once more before finding a chair and drawing close to the bed. 

Setting his things down in a corner, he sat down, gazing affectionately and concernedly at his friend. He wondered what could have gone wrong that day, to make her faint like she had. He'd been nearly scared to death for her. No matter how much she had tried to, in the past few weeks, to hide it from him, he could tell her health was slipping. She had become paler and far more sensitive to the cold than he had ever known her to be. She would also stumble, occasionally; something she never did or was ever known to do. She would always try to cover it up as clumsiness, though Yamato would never once believe her. He almost wondered why she even tried, but then recalled the way her mother acted: stubborn. She would refuse help when it was needed, always thinking that she could take care of herself. 

Yamato sighed silently, dazedly staring at his friend who rested underneath the thin covers. He noticed, for not the first time, how frail she looked. No matter how much the girl tried to act tough and boyish on the outside, Yamato sometimes managed to catch her off-guard. In those off-guard moments, she would usually show some kind of weakness, like sadness or anger. He'd seen her cry a fair few times, as he'd also seen her angry. He was surprised to recall how many times he'd been the cause of her weak points, only to make her laugh or smile immediately afterward. 

The orange-haired girl turned in her sleep, suddenly, letting out a small whimper of pain that a dream was obviously causing her. He wondered at that moment what she could possibly be dreaming about, only to remind himself that other's dreams were none of his business, even if she was his friend. 

After a few more minutes of simply thinking and staring, Yamato decided that he could no longer withstand the utter boringness of the room. Quietly raising himself from the seat, he padded over to the corner where his things were, in search of his guitar. Pulling it gently from its case, he plucked a few strings before taking his seat next to the bed. 

He played a few chords before going onto a song, one he had played so many times at concerts and parties. It was a wonder why he never got tired of playing the same thing over and over. He wondered if he ever would. He had wondered a lot of things that day and, ironically, he wondered why. 

Shaking his blond head, he focused all his thought solely onto his music. He hummed in time with each sting he plucked, the music becoming more intense. One chord led off to another, and soon he was playing the song as vibrantly as ever, humming along, and forgetting, for the moment, the entire world. All that mattered was the music. It required his entire attention… 

The song ended quicker than he had expected. Unable, for the moment, to think of another song, he set down his guitar and once again focused his attention on the orange-haired girl that lay in the bed. 

He was surprised to see that she was shaking. Her back was facing him, but he could tell that she was indeed, crying. Her shoulders shook up and down with every silent sob, and the rest of her frail body quivered. She turned in her sleep, abruptly, so Yamato could see her face. The boy almost broke into tears himself mainly at the expression on the girl's face. It was of utter pain and sorrow, something the blond boy had never hoped to see on his friend's usually bright face. It wrenched in pain with every tear that slid down from her cheeks, falling silently into a puddle where her pale face lay. 

Yamato was overcome with a sense of helplessness. He was sure Sora felt the same way, in her sleep. All people became so helpless in their sleep, unable to help themselves in their make-believe worlds. 

Unable to watch his friend suffer from innocent nightmares any longer, Yamato stepped down from the chair to kneel beside the bed. Hesitantly and with much consideration, the blond boy gently shook his friend's thin shoulder, urging her to wake from her horrible nightmare. The tears immediately slowed, although a slight groan escaped from the girl's throat, indicating that she was still in her nightmare and still in pain. With a bit more urging, shaking just a bit harder than before, Yamato began whispering to the girl, attempting to relax her. She did so, and, abruptly, her eyes fluttered open. Yamato smiled when her clay-brown eyes focused on him. 

"Yama… Yamato…?" Sora muttered softly, almost inaudibly. The boy nodded gently in reply, and was nearly thrown onto the floor as the girl's thin arms flung themselves tightly around the boy's neck. It took him a moment to take in what had just occurred, before wrapping his arms around the girl in concern. He could feel her body shaking against his; she was crying and was, more than likely, scared. He held her tighter, both of them on their knees on the softly carpeted floor, Yamato trying his hardest to calm down his friend. She cried into his shirt, almost ignoring his words, repeating words that Yamato could not understand over and over. He stroked her back gently, becoming more panicky with every question the girl did not answer. 

"Sora, please!" Yamato whispered, panic now evident in his voice, "What's wrong…?!"

The orange-haired girl did not answer. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had taken some doing, but Yamato had finally gotten the girl under control, although she still refused to tell him what was wrong. They had talked for quite a while, afterwards, Sora refusing to go back to sleep. She wouldn't say why, but Yamato knew it was because she was afraid. He didn't blame her. He probably wouldn't want to go back to sleep, either, so he allowed her to stay awake. 

He had become concerned and impatient as ten o'clock drew near, for Sora's mother was supposed to have been home hours ago. Sora, however, was not aware of this. He decided it was best not to tell her and risk her crying or panicking again. 

As the clock turned finally to eleven o' clock, Yamato gave up hoping for Ms. Takenouchi to arrive. He also noticed that Sora had begun to yawn, as he did. He urged her to sleep. She frowned at him. 

"Yamato…" she muttered, about to protest once more. Unexpectedly, her eyes brimmed with tears, causing the blond boy to feel a sudden surge of guilt. He ignored it, telling himself that her health was more important than what she did and didn't want to do. 

"Sora," he said calmly, "You know you need to sleep. It's not good for you to stay awake; you're not gonna get any better if you do." 

The orange-haired girl looked almost crushed. "Yamato, I… I can't sleep… I just can't!" the tears in her eyes leaked out, and she brushed them away with a quivering hand. There was fear in her eyes as she spoke. The guilt inside Yamato became stronger. 

"Sora, please!" Yamato urged, rising from his chair to kneel beside the frightened girl. "I know you're scared, don't try to hide it from me. I know that you know you have to sleep; you are not well!" 

The girl still looked hesitant, though her expression was of relent. Yamato took advantage of her sudden weakness and persisted.

"Sora…" he continued, becoming gentler as he spoke. "I'll be right here beside you. You won't have anything to worry about with me here. I promise I'll protect you from whatever kind of dreams you'll have." 

Sora continued to look doubtful. "But… I…" she murmured, her voice becoming wispy. Her eyes teared up again. "I… won't be able to see you… I won't be able to see you anymore when I fall asleep, Yamato. I won't know where you are, and I'll just be scared again…" 

Yamato took this deeply into consideration before deciding what he would do. Sitting on the edge of the girl's bed, he wiped the tears that fell onto her cheeks. She looked up at him, dazedly. 

"Sora," he said, his voice deep and reassuring. "Just lie down. Please." 

Sora immediately did as she was told, curious to find out her friend's intentions. 

"Now, close your eyes," Yamato whispered. Sora did this, too, and found herself feeling more comfortable in her friend's presence. 

Yamato, noticing that his friend had done what he'd asked of her, removed his slippers and swung his legs onto the bed, surprising the orange-haired girl. He merely smiled at her a warm smile that could have melted anyone's heart. She could feel him take her cold hands into his own, and her heart raced. She closed her eyes again, more tightly. Her thoughts became lost as her friend spoke again in his deepest, most reassuring voice. 

"Now you can sleep, Sora…" the boy said softly, looking his friend straight in the face, adoringly. "I'm right here with you, now. I know you won't be able to see me in your dreams, but you can feel me here, beside you. As long as you can feel me, you shouldn't be scared." 

Sora was in a daze. Her friend's kindness was almost beyond words… she didn't know what to say. Opening her eyes, she found that the boy was looking straight back at her. Almost instantly, she became lost in the crystal blue sea that was his eyes; she couldn't pull away. And he stared back, adoringly… lovingly. Without thinking, Sora wrapped her arms around his neck and twined her legs around his, tears suddenly falling from her eyes once more. Yamato could do nothing but smile, and soothe her until she finally fell asleep, still in his arms. 

He watched her sleep, for a long time. She seemed so peaceful, now. Twirling her soft, orange hair in his fingers, the blond boy noticed, for the first time, that the girl he held in his arms still wore the same necklace he had given to her only two weeks ago. It sparkled, now, from the light of the moon through blinds that he had opened earlier that day. It had stopped raining, so the stars were shining brighter than ever, happy to be away from the cover of clouds. 

Fatigue suddenly overtook the blond boy, as he watched his friend sleep so peacefully. He closed his eyes and, without much thought, kissed the girl on the forehead before falling into a peaceful sleep himself. 

The stars shined through the small window, watching the young boy and girl… they watched their friend, Sora, especially. It had concerned them that she had fallen ill so soon… her father had lasted so much longer on the earth than she had been… however, they knew she would be well soon enough. They knew what they had to do to make her well again, and they intended to carry through with it… for her sake.

They watched as Sora shivered, slightly, in her sleep… 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

*Just a little note, there. Yes, I did come up with that by myself. It's not a real legend. And, sorry for the corny-ness of it; It's just gonna be important in the upcoming chapter. I promise, that pointless bit of crap DOES have some relevance do it!! ^_^

Eek! I'm soooo sorry to leave the story right there! I just thought that I had to get SOMETHING out to you guys, so… here! CHAPTER THREE IS COMPLETED! ::bows as everyone claps then throws tomatoes:: Ah! I promise to try really hard to get chapter four out sooner than this one! Special thanks to everyone who waited long enough for me to finish this much! You don't realize how much your comments mean to me! ::sniff:: ::hugs everyone present:: Eeepers! I'll stop rambling and bugging you now! I'd love some feedback on this, and thanks to everyone! ^_^ ja ne!


	4. Long Explanations

It was nearly one in the morning when Ms

Part 4

*****************

It had reached the darkest part of the night, yet the dark-haired woman still refused to give up. She would find what she was looking for, no matter what got in her way. Perhaps with the exception of exhaustion, that is. 

Having been out walking for the entire day, the woman located a nearby bench and placed herself there, promising herself that she would stay no longer than five minutes. However, it is amazing what thoughts can run through a person's mind in that short of a time, and especially late at night. She tilted her head upwards, resting it on the head of the bench, and she smiled as the twinkling of the night sky caught her vision. Her smile was sad, though, and her voice mournful as she spoke. 

"Hello…" she said, her voice going quiet and emotionless as she spoke. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Since I've spoken to any of you…" 

To the passerby, it might have been difficult, at first, to notice how extremely bright the stars had become at the sound of the woman's voice. 

"I haven't really spoken to any of you since _he _passed away, have I?" 

Though no reply came, she knew they heard her. They always did. He, her only love, had taught her that… he had been one of them. A star in the night sky…

"How long ago was it since he fell to earth? Since I met him and fell in love?" She spoke a bit louder, now, though almost to herself, rather than her friends in the sky. She shook her head. "Since we married and had a daughter…?" 

The woman squinted her eyes as she spoke to herself, trying to hold back the tears that longed to be free. She refused to let them go, reminding herself that she was stronger than that. Tears, she always told herself, were meaningless, as they solved nothing. They only increased one's sadness… 

"It's been more than eleven years since _he_ died, that much I know…" The woman went on, her voice quivering, now. Her sadness was apparent, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. "It's my fault, too… If I hadn't tried to keep him on earth so long—if we hadn't had a daughter, then… he'd still be alive…"

She turned her gaze back to the sky, smiling ironically. "I wouldn't see him anymore, but at least he'd be with all of you, again. Right where he should have been in the first place. Where he should have stayed." Her eyes twinkled sadly, as did the stars. Her smile faded, but only slightly. 

"Do you miss him as much as I do?" she asked the sky. No reply came. She hadn't been expecting one. "I wonder if she misses him… my daughter. I wonder if she even remembers her father… he was always so kind and gentle with her… so loving. So different from me." 

The woman's smile faded completely. 

"I'm so afraid to lose her… I can't get close to her because I might lose her like I lost him. The sadness might be too much to handle…" the woman's voice trailed off as she tried to hold back her emotions. She never thought her past would come back to haunt her, yet it was. The death of her husband, that had happened nearly ten years ago, was almost happening again, this time with her daughter, in place of the man. 

"What can I do, though?" the woman questioned the silent sky, her voice almost too hushed to hear. "I knew that she had her father's blood in her, more than mine, but I hadn't expected it to affect her like this… I'm going to lose her because Fallen Stars can't live on earth. That's why he died—because he was a star, like all of you. And my daughter has his blood, which makes her one of you. She can't stay here unless I find something to help her." 

The woman's eyes, no matter how hard she had tried to stop it, had begun to shimmer with tears. She was so afraid to lose her daughter. She was all that she had left, and she couldn't let her go. She stood, resolutely, before her sadness overtook her. Wiping her eyes, she turned her head one last time to the sky. 

"Somehow, you have to help me," she murmured. She watched the sky shimmer, once more, before shaking her head sorrowfully and forcing her feet to press on. She knew something had to be out there to help her daughter… She just had to find it. Or, for that matter, find out what it was she was even looking for. Her feet carried her away before she could put anymore thought into it. 

As the woman left the stars' gaze underneath the cover of a tree, they sparkled for her, one last time. The woman was always so sad, they knew. They remembered the man she spoke of. They had never blamed the woman for his death, for he had chosen to stay on the earth. He'd abandoned the mission he'd been sent to earth for—to study humans—and fallen in love, gotten married to, and eventually had a child with the dark-haired woman. They understood. They did not blame the woman for their brother's death. So they had to help her. They had to help save the woman's daughter. Their brother had loved her so much, they were sure that he wouldn't want the woman to suffer anymore than she had. They owed him—and the woman—that. 

They would save Sora, for the dark-haired woman. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There was something wrong. It was not in her dreams, Sora knew. Otherwise, she would have woken up. No, it was something else. Like a presence that wasn't there before was now there. It wasn't the type of presence she would expect, either. It was almost familiar, in a way. Like the presence of the stars at night… 

This subconscious thought had brought her slowly back to reality. She slowly opened her tired eyes to meet the sleeping face of her blond friend. His brows her knitted in an expression of concern. It was the kind of expression that a puppy might have in its sleep as it chased a rabbit in its dreams. Sora wondered what type of things Yamato might be chasing in his sleep. That's when the light caught Sora's attention. 

She was surprised that she hadn't noticed it before. The light beside her bed. It had expertly blended in with the light protruding from her window, so it wouldn't be seen unless directly looked upon. Sora managed to keep herself from letting out a squeak of surprise at the sight of the small ball of light that hovered nearly inches from her bed. She sat up, slightly, to get a better look at the thing. 

Gently pushing away the arms of her protector from around her waist, Sora quietly and carefully stepped from her small bed. The ball of light moved as the first sound of feet touching the ground reached it. Sora stood completely still, afraid that she had made a deathly mistake by going any closer. 

"What… are you?" she questioned softly after a few moments of silence. She had observed the ball of light carefully and had come to the conclusion that it would be all right it she spoke to it. The ball of light merely hovered for a few moments before, quite suddenly, becoming dimmer. The orange-haired girl watched intently, for it had begun to do something. The ball stretched and twisted, becoming dimmer than brighter again several times before it, stopped. Sora's jaw dropped. 

The ball of light had turned into the shape of a man. Or, more precisely, one that she recognized, just barely. The form was wispy and almost hard to see, yet she knew what she saw. It was unmistakable. 

The form of her father stood in front of her, smiling. The girl dropped to her knees in disbelief. 

"Hello, Sora," the once-ball-of-light whispered, it's eyes lighting up mysteriously. The girl stared on, unable to blink. 

"It's… you're… but, how…?" Sora was speechless. She knew her father was dead… could this have been a ghost, standing in front of her? Her skin prickled at the thought. She decided to remain silent. Although, she could feel herself becoming weaker, since she was no longer asleep or in bed. It had been unwise to venture out of bed… 

The man who looked like her father smiled deeply. Reaching out a hand, his smile lessened, slightly. 

"I've been sent here to take you with me," he said, his voice holding a very airy tone. The orange-haired girl stared at the hand in front of her curiously. 

"But…" she said weakly, "You're dead…" 

The man's smile lessened. His face became stern. 

"You will be dead by the end of this season if you don't come with me," he stated matter-of-factly. Sora's eyes hardened unbelievingly. She knew she was ill, but… death? No, it was impossible. 

"Why do you want me? Really?" she asked, her voice becoming cold. She was taken by surprise as the man knelt down, and placed a hand on her face. The girl was taken aback by how cold the hand was, almost as if ice were being pressed against her face. Yet, it was comforting, and she could not bring herself to move… 

"I can help make you better, Sora," the man whispered, his eyes becoming soft. "You know you're not well… If you come with me, you will be well again. Your loved ones will stop worrying about you all the time. You'll all be happier." 

Sora would have liked to respond, just then, but it suddenly felt as if all her will power were being sucked from her. The feel of the man's hand against her face no longer felt cold, but almost comfortingly warm… before she knew what she was doing, she was nodding to the man, agreeing. Every inch of her mind told her that this man, her father, was right. He always had been. 

The man smiled at her. 

"Good, then…" he said, and took his hand from her face, instead taking her hand in his. Oddly, they were now icy cold. "Come with me. The others are waiting for me to return."

The orange-haired girl nodded, once more. She stood, and deep glow surrounded her, as did the man. She watched the figure beside her form itself into a ball once more before it disappeared through the bedroom door. Breathlessly, she followed it, wishing that she could exit the same way as it had. Unfortunately, she was forced to open and close the door on her way out. 

"Where are we going…?" Sora asked abruptly, after having followed the man quite a distance from her apartment. The man turned to her, giving off a bright smile. The orange-haired girl could have melted on the spot, remembering smiles just like that one. Her foggy mind began recalling deeper memories, and she was left in a daze. The man who walked in front of her, feeling a sudden pity in his lower gut stopped and walked back to the dazed girl. He hadn't expected everything to work so well on her. Taking the girl's hand in his own, larger one, he urged her further on. She obeyed, quietly, with a childish grin at the man. Pity nearly overwhelmed him. 

__

She really thinks I'm him…the man thought, glancing sideways at the girl next to him, who seemed far more childish than she should have. At any moment, he expected her to start skipping, or singing songs that only children sang. _This isn't going to be good…Maybe the power I used on her was too strong… _

The man continued to stare sideways at her, unable to contain a sheepish grin as the girl noticed his eyes on her. She smiled sweetly, turned away, and began humming to herself. The tall man beside her quickly looked away, and focused himself on their destination, rather than the orange-haired girl. 

He managed to ignore the girl's humming, for a moment, until the girl decided that she was not humming loud enough to please herself. Increasing her voice, the man posing as the girl's father could not help but listen. He gasped and stopped walking as he recognized the tune. 

Turning to Sora, he took her by the shoulders and shook her. "How do you know that song?!" he breathlessly asked, his eyes nearly bulging from his head. The girl's eyes went watery, shocked from her father's (or who she thought was her father's) reaction. She muttered out an answer that he could not understand. He squeezed her shoulders and demanded that she speak louder. How could she have known?! How could she have known the one song that stay sacred to the stars? 

The girl's lips quivered. "D-daddy…" she squeaked, "_You _taught it to me…" she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her pajamas. The man relaxed, and let go of her shoulders, letting them drop, instead, to his sides. 

__

Of course… he thought, breathing in deep, attempting to calm himself. _Of course he would have taught her that… it's probably all the knowledge of the stars he could pass onto her without her actually knowing… something she could remember him by…_

He realized that he was still staring at the girl who, in turn, was staring watery-eyed back at him. She sniffled a few times before, instinctively, he patted the girl on the head, smiling. 

"I'm sorry I did that, Sora," He said forcedly. The girl's sad faced quickly changed to a smile and she took the man's hand again, resuming her humming. The man nearly toppled over as Sora pulled him along; He had remained still. It was amazing to him how different earth children were from star children… he then reminded himself that stars didn't actually _have _children. Upon the whim of the Sun, they just… became. Full-grown and everything, ready to serve their master. Not many stayed long, though. Like the girl's father. He hadn't stayed because the Sun, their "father", had cast him out, displeased with him. Because he had fallen in love with a woman from earth. 

Everyone knew about the it; how their brother (very few of them had names, Sora's father being one of the many who did not; there were far too many for the Sun to care about) had been cast down to earth, which was a very rare occasion. The fact that he had been exiled to live there because he had fallen in love was far more rare. That is why the story was so well known among them, and was repeated often, just not in the presence of the Sun. They knew how much something like that could anger him. And if word got to him that they'd found his daughter… 

Everything was to be kept secret. They would not tell the Sun about it. Rather, they would bring her to live with them that night, and pretend that she had been there all along. She would be given her place in the sky, and all would be well. 

For a fleeting moment, the man wondered why he was doing this. Why was he bringing this girl to live with them? Of course he knew that she was sick, but… what purpose would it serve? His grim thoughts wandered aimlessly through his mind. He hardly noticed as they approached their destination, until a gleeful cry met his ears. 

"The park!" Sora said delightedly, tugging on the arm of the bewildered star. "Is this where you were taking me?" 

The man blinked at her, then looked out. They had reached their destination. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A chill breeze passed through the open window and the blond-haired boy shivered. It struck his sleeping mind that, just moments ago, he had been warm. He shouldn't have been cold… 

Slowly, his mind brought him back to reality. His eyes blinked open to a hazy awareness, as if a fog were laying over his mind. The boy absently rubbed at his eyes with a cold hand, while the other hand reached out to lift him up. His wandering hand found an oddly vacant spot on the small bed… 

Then it hit him like a blow to the stomach. His eyes sprung open, and he bolted into a sitting position. His eyes searched the room frantically, and his heart pounded with an unidentifiable fear. 

"Sora," he whispered into the still darkness of the room. Though he waited, there was no response. 

His blood pounded through his veins as he launched into near panic. He rolled off the bed and to his feet, steadying himself as he searched about the room. She was neither in a corner nor anywhere else in the room. What was she doing out of bed?! 

The breeze immediately brought to his attention the fact that the bedroom door was open by a shrill creaking given off by the hinges. He stared at the door stupidly before stepping through it. He had begun to calm himself; sure that his orange-haired friend had merely gone to get a glass of water or something of the sort. 

The kitchen was empty. Yamato, after a thorough investigation, had also proven the other bedrooms and the bathroom in the tiny apartment to be devoid of human presence, also. He grasped the doorframe of Sora's bedroom to steady himself, a sudden feeling of disbelief sweeping over him. Then, faintly, a small breeze whipped about his neck. He turned and his eyes widened as he let out a helpless gasp. 

He slowly entered the front room, and realized that the front door had been left open.

With a fresh wave of panic spreading through his bones, he ran to the door and burst through it, catching the rail of the front balcony and nearly toppling over it. Had he done so, it would have been fatal, as the apartment he was on was nearly three stories up. He slowly backed away from it and, without further thought, fled down the steps of the apartment building, ignoring the oddly inviting look of the elevator. 

The blond boy risked toppling down the cement stairway as he ran faster and faster down the steps in his state of urgency. In his mind, a dozen thoughts raced by relentlessly, leaving all rationalism behind. All he knew, at that moment, was his concern for his sick friend, who, for all he knew then, was roaming the streets of Odaiba in a delirious state. 

He stopped, abruptly as he reached the sidewalk in front of the expansive building that he had just fled from in panic. He decided, in his haste, that a bit of sense might not be too bad at that point. He slowed his breathing and searched his surroundings. 

As he had expected, Sora was nowhere in sight. Almost unconciously, Yamato had slipped to the ground, his back supported by a roughly uncomfortable lamppost. He hid his head in his knees and forced back a flood of sudden tears. Where was she, and why did she leave…? An itching at the back of the blond-boy's mind accused him of the situation; that the whole thing was entirely his fault. He ignored the nagging as best as he could, almost to no avail. The threatening tears stung his eyes as he buried his face helplessly into his crossed arms. 

Something very lightly touched his quivering shoulder, and Yamato sprang to his feet in surprise. However, he nearly collapsed again as a familiar face entered his tear-blurred vision. 

"Yamato," Mrs. Takenouchi said with furrowed brows, "What're you doing out here?" 

The wall behind Yamato's eyes broke, and a flood poured out. He looked down to his feet helplessly. Mrs. Takenouchi, taken aback by the boy's show of grief, persisted with her last question, until the boy looked up at her with watery eyes. 

"Sora's gone!" he sputtered. 

The dark-haired woman stepped back in shock. Did he just say…? She had no time to collect her thoughts, for Yamato had gone into an unexpected kind of fury. His azure eyes pierced through Sora's mother, and he trembled violently. 

"Where were you when she needed you?" he asked, not bothering to keep his voice low. The dark-haired woman could see that apparent anger on the boy's face, and she looked on at him in confusion. What could possibly have caused this? 

"Where were you?" Yamato persisted, "She needed you, and you were gone! You never came back!" 

The woman's nature remained gentle, and she laid a hand on the blond boy's trembling shoulder. All anger immediately drained from his pale face, and he suddenly looked stricken. His hands fell helplessly to his sides, and Mrs. Takenouchi, acting upon instinct, brought the boy into a motherly embrace. 

"I'm so sorry," she apologized gently, allowing the boy's tears to fall onto her shoulder. "I was only trying to help my daughter…" 

"How could leaving help her?" Yamato asked hotly, not raising his head to meet the woman's gaze. 

The orange-haired girl's mother thought for a moment before responding. "I spoke to someone," she explained quietly, slowly stepping away from Yamato. He watched her curiously with a tear-stained face as she reached into a pocket and pulled out something that glimmered oddly in the shallow light of a street lamp. He let out a breath of astonishment. In her hand she held a necklace exactly like the one he had given Sora nearly two weeks ago. 

"Where… where did you get that?" Yamato asked, his voice barely reaching above a whisper. His hand absently reached out to touch the necklace in Mrs. Takenouchi's outstretched hand, but he drew back at the last minute. His azure eyes flashed up toward the woman, pleading. She knew something about Sora… He swallowed and, with a look in his eyes, urged the dark-haired woman to speak. 

Sora's mother also swallowed hard, her dark eyes flashing peculiarly. "They've taken her back," she said finally, the strong tone in her voice surprising the blond-haired boy. What did she mean? Who had taken her back? His eyes again pleaded the woman onward. 

"You bought a necklace just like this for my daughter," the dark-haired woman said. It was not a question. She held out the necklace again for Yamato to inspect, though he needn't have. He knew what the necklace looked like; he had memorized all its features before he had bought it for Sora. However, he nodded to Mrs. Takenouchi, who smiled at him gently. 

"You didn't know that it may have saved her life, did you?" she said softly, and, almost instinctively, a lump formed in Yamato's throat. Again, the woman smiled at him, her expression almost unreadable. Softly, she continued. "The old man you bought this from told me about it. There were two of its kind in his shop; the necklace I hold is the twin of the one you gave to my daughter. He told me… about himself, mostly…" she swallowed hard, suddenly finding it difficult to continue. Her eyes wandered, almost automatically, toward the azure-eyed boy before her. The look of pure worry and care in his blue, blue eyes was almost too much to bear, and her eyes trailed down to the hand which still held the necklace. Her fingers clenched around it. 

"What did he tell you…?" Yamato's voice said almost shakily. Sora's dark-haired mother sighed, then, and, resolutely, continued her tale. 

"He was a Fallen Star," she murmured, not surprised by the look of confusion on Yamato's face. She thought for a moment, digging up something in her mind to explain. "You've read the Legend about the stars, haven't you?" she asked the blond boy. Brows furrowed curiously, he nodded, though slowly. The woman smiled wanly at him. 

"You might find this unbelievable," she continued, "But that legend was real." 

A startled gasp escaped the blond boy's throat, though not so much out of disbelief as out of habit. In actuality, he found that he wasn't really all that surprised. That legend had drawn him in so intently; how could it have not been real? He focused on the woman as she continued to explain. 

"Well, that old, old man that sold you the necklace," she said simply, "was the prince. The one from the legend." 

"But that's impossible!" Yamato burst suddenly, "The legend is over a thousand years old! He'd be almost—"

"One thousand years old," she finished for him, any traces of a smile faded from her face. "Yes, that happened over a thousand years ago. But, that's what these necklaces are for. Do you recall the part of the legend where the prince finds the necklace?" 

The blond-haired musician thought for a moment, then nodded. 

"Well," Mrs. Takenouchi continued, "The girl also had a necklace like this." Once again, she held out the necklace for him to see, making sure that he got a close look at the heart-shaped jewel connected to the chain. "When I asked the old man about these, he called them the Pure Love pendants. He wouldn't tell me much about them, except that he had been wearing it when he had met up with the princess. Through these, he had shared his life energy with the girl." 

"I don't think I understand how that works," Yamato admitted, holding his head in confusion. "What is it, exactly, that makes the necklaces so special?" 

The dark-haired woman smiled wanly. "Do you know what that jewel in the center of the pendent is?" she asked, pointing to the sparkling jewel. Yamato glanced at it, then shrugged. He wanted an explanation, not more questions! 

"It's what we call star dust," she answered, "A small piece of a real falling star. The old man at the shop said that the Sun himself took these pieces and forged the necklaces himself. They had his blessing, and anything with the Sun's blessing is very special." 

"But why did he make them?" 

"It's said that the Sun can reach into the far depths of the future. He could see this day, and he made the necklaces to prepare for it. He lives by prophecy, you see." 

Yamato became suddenly curious. "What prophecy do the stars live by?" 

Mrs. Takenouchi explained. "The Sun is very wise," she said, almost seeming to ignore Yamato's question. "Although, much like the children on Earth, his own children tend to be very foolish. In the prophecy that was made during the creation of the Universe, it says that the Stars, in their worst years, will lose one of their number in the Sun's anger, and that One will be sent to Earth. On Earth, that One will have a daughter, who will be half Star, and half Human. The prophecy states that this daughter of the One will come to them, and lead them out of their disarray to become Queen of the Universe. It's said that the night sky will glow as bright as if the Sun itself were sitting upon the Earth during the Queen's coronation. However, we can plainly see that this has not yet happened, although we do know that at least half has come to pass." 

Yamato found it hard to think straight. What could any of this possibly mean to him? 

What could this mean to Sora…? 

Then revelation struck him like a bullet to the brain. It was Sora… Sora was this supposed Queen! It made sense, now that he thought about it. His situation was almost like a repetition of that fateful legend he had once read in school. Sora was like the princess who fell from the heavens, and he the prince, fatefully by her side. Absently, he remembered those nights he had spent with the orange-haired girl watching the clear, night skies, and how she would occasionally lapse into odd silences, as if conversing with some unknown being. That, he was assured, was true. She had always been in contact with the stars, the part of her that actually _was_ part of the stars. Something else suddenly occurred to him, and he was rendered into a state of helplessness. 

"I'm going to lose Sora…" he murmured, more to himself than to the dark-haired woman in front of him. She caught his downcast comment, however, and smiled to him reassuringly. 

"Not if you go after her," she told him surely, and he stared at her. How could he possibly do that? A prophecy was something that one could not sway, Yamato had always thought… Noticing his forlorn expression, Mrs. Takenouchi smiled seriously. 

"When the Universe was created, a Prophecy was made. In the same instant this Prophecy was made, however, it was unmade by the forces of the Universe, and split into two, thus creating two separate Prophecies. One of these two Prophecies claims that the half-star from Earth will become Queen of all and lead the Universe into absolute peace and prosperity, while the other claims that another being will rise above all and become the Center of the Universe. In the instant that one of the two instances happen, both Prophecies will cease to exist." 

Yamato's eyes lit up in near jubilation. "So, it can go one of two ways," he breathed, "And both ways are good…" 

"Not necessarily," Mrs. Takenouchi said warily, looking at the blond boy seriously. "I mentioned, earlier, that the Sun's children can be very foolish, at times. So, foolishly, they've taken steps to insure that _she_ is made Queen very soon… that's why she's gone. But, because of their haste in the matter, she will not be ready, and all will go amiss…" 

Only then did Yamato become aware of how formally Mrs. Takenouchi had been speaking that entire time. This began to raise suspicions in the blond-haired musician, and he looked the dark-haired woman over closely. There was something strange about the glint in her eyes, and the placid look adorned upon her face… 

As if reading his thoughts, the woman shook her head, and smiled wryly. "I've been discovered, haven't I?" she asked the blond boy, and his unsure suspicions were confirmed, in that one statement. He grinned to himself, pleased at his sudden genius. 

"Mrs. Takenouchi never talks like that," he explained gently to the dark-eyed woman. "Could you tell me who you are?" 

The woman nodded. "I am still the woman you know, I'm just using her for a short time." 

"Using her?" 

"Yes. Although I have no true identity, I am referred to as the 'Tool of Prophecy'. My job was set for me at the beginning of time; I am here as a mediator between the two Prophecies. It becomes convenient, sometimes, to step in personally by using the bodies of humans who directly involve themselves in the Prophecies. Mrs. Takenouchi was one of them. She seemed most convenient, so I decided to occupy her." 

Though this was a little hard for Yamato to take in, he none-the-less accepted this strange turn of events. "Will Mrs. Takenouchi be harmed?" he asked, concern painting his face for this mother-like figure, currently occupied by some being he could not rightly identify. Using the dark-haired woman's lips, the Tool within her smiled. 

"She will be fine," the being within the woman reassured him, then the woman's face became serious. "However, if the Queen is named during this time when she is not ready, I'm not sure that she will remain fine. The results of that Event could be disastrous. Instead of both Prophecies ceasing their existence, only one of them shall cease to remain, and there will be an imbalance in the Universe." 

"That's bad…" Yamato muttered simply, a sudden feeling of foreboding welling inside him, turning the pit of his stomach cold. Mrs. Takenouchi nodded mutely in response, saying nothing more. A thought suddenly occurred to Yamato as he watched the woman for a moment. 

"You said that that old man is over a thousand years old," he said, and the dark-haired woman nodded at him. "Well, how is it that he managed to live that long?" 

Using Mrs. Takenouchi's hands, the Tool held out the necklace once more, and it emitted that curious sparkle of the star dust. "You're aware of how long a star can live, aren't you?" 

The blond boy nodded. "Millions of years, I think." 

"Or more," Mrs. Takenouchi explained, "You recall in the legend where the prince shared his life energy with the star?" 

Yamato nodded mutely, and she continued. 

"Well, when that happened, the prince also took on part of the star. I don't know exactly how it worked, but—through the necklaces that they both wore—their life energy was shared with each other, not just the prince to the star. I have a feeling, though, that that transfer of being was not particularly the necklaces, but their hearts…" she left it hanging. 

For the past few minutes in which Yamato had been conversing with Mrs. Takenouchi—or, rather, the being inside her—he had been feeling more and more confused. A cold feeling had centered itself in the pit of his stomach, and he felt slightly ill. What kind of mess had he gotten himself into? How was he supposed to get himself out of whatever this was? As if reading his thoughts once more, the being inside Mrs. Takenouchi used her lips to form a faint smile. 

"Worry not, fair prince, though your task is at hand," she murmured in a strangely far-off voice. "Go find your princess, and mend the Universe. Then will you live happily." 

Prince? Mend the Universe? Princess? What on Earth was this person talking about?! He opened his mouth to voice his questions. However, he blinked, and the dark-haired woman was gone. As he moved his head about to see where she might have gone, he felt a weight about his neck. Abstractedly, he pulled at it, and felt a chain tied about his neck. The chain, in turn, was tied to a heart-shaped pendent with a strange, twinkling jewel. 

And then he understood. Finally! All that strange presence inside Mrs. Takenouchi was trying to explain to him—he understood it all! Though he feared the words inside his mind, he knew it to be true. His duty. It was _his _duty to keep the Prophecies from splitting the Universe. He was in the middle of it all, and he had not even been aware of it! Though still feeling slightly perplexed and scared about the whole matter, the blond boy none-the-less felt a great sense of excitement. Saving the Universe—what a task this was! He stood on the spot for a few moments, rejoicing in his new-found knowledge and responsibility. 

But, what had that presence said to him earlier? Sora had been taken? This part of the realization hit him like a blow to the stomach, and the earlier panic that had subsided during his talk with Mrs. Takenouchi returned full force. 

Yamato gave a gasp as something strange happened. The necklace, now tucked inside his shirt, had given a strange jolt forward. Yamato had worn enough necklaces in his life to know that this was not normal. The pendent on the chain jumped again, almost intentionally pulling him southward. The blond boy stood for a moment, wondering what on earth could be southward that could attract the attention of this little jewel. 

The only sensible thing to do would be to go to the park. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The orange-haired girl nervously fingered the chain tied about her slender neck. She knew she should do what her father told her to, but… 

"Sora, just give me the necklace, please," the girl's father-look-alike pleaded. "We can't get to where we need to go if you don't give it to me." 

"Where _are_ we going, Papa?" Sora asked, becoming irritated suddenly. Father _never _acted this way! He seemed so demanding right now, so cold… "Can't I just keep it on?" 

The man considered this for a moment. Then he sighed, his heart giving an odd thump at the pleading look on the girl's face. Obviously, this necklace was very important to her. 

"All right," he mumbled, his eyes downcast. "Just do what I tell you to with it, then we can get to where we're going this time." 

Sora nodded, happy with this man's choice. Obediently, she took the pendent in her cold hands and waited for instructions. 

"Okay, Sora," her father said, "Just hold pendent in your hands, and I'll say a few words. Then the sky will do something strange, but don't be scared. Are you ready?" 

The orange-haired girl nodded cheerfully. "Of course I'm ready!" she chirped, "I'm with you, Papa!" 

For some reason, this made the man feel sick with guilt. However, he managed a smile in reply, facing toward the sky. He briefly touched the pendent with a fingertip, and muttered a deliberate command at the night sky, as the pendent suddenly began to glow. 

Without warning, the sky split open. 

* * * * * * * * 

Okies, here's the deal: the next chapter will be—I promise—the last chapter. I just feel I've been taking a SERIOUSLY LONG amount of time to get at least this much out, and there was quite a lot of explaining to do (as you might have noticed). If you didn't understand anything about this chapter, just e-mail me and I'll try and explain a bit o' my reasoning to you. Or you can just review with a question. Tell me, also, if you thought that whole Prophecy thing was a bit too abrupt. I'd had it in mind since the beginning, but I had next to no clue how to go about fitting it in. Think I should re-write this chapter? Think I should delete it and go straight to the last part? I'd love to hear your opinions! 


	5. Fate

**Part 5**

The blond boy never stopped running toward his destination, despite the tiredness in his legs, despite the ache in his side, despite the lack of air in his lungs—and even despite the gaping hole in the sky. Somehow, he knew that, sooner or later, that had been bound to happen, and he should find his way toward it before it was too late. 

Nearing the park, he became more determined than ever to save Sora. 

He would save everything. 

The trees of the park came into full view, their branches almost bare from the coming of winter. Red and gold leaves were scattered about the ground. Yamato dragged his tired feet through them, a sudden anxiousness boiling at the pit of his stomach. He knew he was close to something. 

And then she was there in front of him, illuminated by the brightest light Yamato had ever seen. It came from the gap in the night sky, and the blond wondered, fleetingly, if anyone else besides him could see this light that night. Beside his orange-haired friend stood a man Yamato did not recognize. He was also illuminated by the light, but looked strangely transparent in it. One of his white, nearly transparent hands was clasped loosely with one of Sora's, and Yamato could feel his heart grow cold. Who was this man, to be holding the hand of his friend? 

Yamato stepped forward, and a branch cracked under his foot. Upon hearing the sound, the man holding Sora's hand turned instinctively, and his eyes widened at the blond boy. "You!" he breathed accusingly, his voice sounding hollow. Sora also turned to look, and Yamato immediately found himself looking into her eyes, questioning. Who was this man she was with? Why did she leave him? Worry him? Her usually vibrant eyes gave no reply, however. They were as dull as the eyes of a china doll, and Yamato, for some reason, found it hard to breathe. 

What was wrong…? 

"Sora…" the blond boy whispered tersely, his voice thick with building emotion. The orange-haired girl's eyes centered on him, and, unintentionally, her hand slipped away from the man's to touch the pendant at her throat. It was only then that Yamato noticed how strangely the pendant glowed, a deep, velvety blue that danced around the girl's fingers and seemed to reflect the sky. 

"How do you know my name?" Sora questioned dully, her voice a severe monotone. "I don't think I know you…" 

Yamato choked on her words, slowly processing them in his rushing mind. He pretended as if not to hear them as he continued speaking, though they had hurt him deeply. "Sora, you need to come back with me," he told the girl softly, attempting to coax her. "You're not safe here—"

"No!" The stubborn reply came from the man, who Yamato was surprised to see staggered as he stood. He clutched at his stomach with one hand, looking pained. His voice was fierce as he spoke, however. "I've been ordered to take her with me, no matter what. She's the only one who can save my realm, we need her!" 

Yamato faltered. This is what the Tool had spoken of; this man must have been one of the Sun's foolish children, come to take Sora to mend things for them. A _real star. Recalling Mrs. Takenouchi's other words, he realized the horrible position this man was in. The man was deliberately going against Prophecy, attempting to speed up the process of things by __taking Sora, rather than __her coming to __them. This was what he needed to stop. _

"Do you realize what you're doing?" Yamato asked the man suddenly. "You're going against Prophecy! Sora's not ready to lead you yet. Do you realize what that could do to the Universe?" 

The staggering shadow of a man grunted defiantly. "What do you know of Prophecy?" he asked scornfully. When Yamato didn't reply, he roughly grabbed Sora's wrist and turned her away from the blond boy. "Come on," he rasped, "We've been on this Earth too long." 

The orange-haired girl merely nodded, her eyes resembling the smoldering wax of a burnt-out candle. She seemed so lost, so dazed… Without thought, Yamato lunged for the man who held the wrist of his friend. He wasn't sure what he had intended to do to the man, but he needn't have thought about it. The instant he got within a foot of the Star, a pain swept through his entire body, like an electric shock. He fell to the ground, quivering with hurt. 

"What…?!" he sputtered, clutching his stomach as confusion pervaded him. What was happening? He squeezed his eyes shut painfully, afraid he might throw up if he kept them open. World spinning, spinning. What had that man done? 

The man's—the Star's—breathing came in heavy rasps now. Obviously, whatever he had done had drained him significantly. Feeling himself slightly regaining his composure, Yamato opened an eye, daring a peek. The man before him held his grip on Sora's wrist tighter than ever, no longer facing Yamato but the light from the sky once more. And looking more transparent than ever. The world went dizzy for a moment, and Yamato closed his eyes briefly, knowing he should keep them open, but knowing also that it would do no good for him to throw up just then. 

When he assured himself that he would be all right again, he squinted open an eye. Then, abruptly, both shot open in horror at the sight he saw. 

They were floating. 

In the beam of light, both were floating, now three feet from the ground, now five feet, ascending gradually higher. Yamato sprung to his feet, despite the pain deep in his stomach, hurriedly racing toward the beam of light. Almost above his head now. Had to save her, had to hurry and save her. 

"Sora!" he called out desperately, his vision slightly blurred from the dizziness that plagued him. She turned to him, her eyes cold and lifeless one moment; the next, a flash of life. A horrified look painted the features of her face. What was happening?! Going up, up, into the sky. Yamato down below her, looking desperate, hurt, sad, terrified. In a desperate, almost natural movement, Sora reached out toward the blond. He reached back, his fingers penetrating the beam of light, making him feel lightheaded. 

But he reached on desperately, even as she went higher and higher, the man's grip still tight on her wrist. She could not escape. But Yamato continued to reach, until his fingers touched hers, then something more solid, cold. The pendant. Without quite knowing why, he grasped it firmly in his outstretched hand, as if it were a lifeline. A lifeline to Sora. 

Quite suddenly, the chain broke. Yamato fell backwards, landing smartly on his head, the necklace still clasped in cold, shaking hands. And Sora began to ascend faster than before, going twenty feet up, forty feet up, up, up, up. 

"Yamato!" she called suddenly, terror eminent in her voice. That voice made Yamato ache inside, pain fully renewed inside him, making him dizzy, nauseous. And yet he continued watching Sora go, even as she ascended out of his sight, the beam of light following her and the Star closely, the sky closing up. He continued to watch the sky in disbelief, mouth agape, sudden wetness stinging his eyes. No. No. 

"Damn it…" the blond boy choked, a sob escaping him at the same moment. How he hated himself, loathed himself. He clamped his eyes shut, forcing the water back. Shut everything back. The pain, the tears, the world. Everything but the hate for himself. He doubled over, unable to bear it. Too much, too fast. 

"_Damn it_!" he screamed hoarsely, the tears escaping him, pouring down his pale cheeks as he pounded his fists on the ground. He continued to scream, with no words. Terrible screaming, the kind produced by one who had truly lost. And Yamato had really lost, this time. 

He had lost Sora forever. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_The pain was sudden, immense, hitting like lightening bolts through her body. _

_Screaming, Mrs. Takenouchi—the real Mrs. Takenouchi, the messenger having left her--bolted upright, knowing immediately what was wrong, what had awoken her on the grass of the Cemetery. Near his grave._

_Sora. Sora… _

_The pain still raging through her body, the dark-haired woman clutched her throbbing head, shouting with terrible hurt.  Shouting to block out the voices that were slowly consuming her mind, voices she knew and had once loved dearly. The voices belonging to _his _kin. _

_Sora, Sora… _

_Like a chant. The voices repeated it over and over in her mind, as if to gloat. They had Sora. They had their Queen. Mrs. Takenouchi rose to her feet, limbs thrashing wildly. Stop, stop! Give her back! _

_Sora, Sora… _

_Why are you doing this?! She wanted to scream the words, but her voice was locked, could only shout nonsense. They wouldn't listen to her. Refused to listen to anybody. I thought you were my friends! Her mind echoed frantically. Why are you hurting me?! Hurting Sora…?! _

_A pause. An excruciating pause, in which, for a fleeting, wonderful second, the pain stopped, the voices stopped. _

_Then came back more powerful than ever, forcing the dark-haired woman to her knees, crying agony. _

_Took him away, they said, bodiless voices in unison, filled with what one could only distinguish as hatred. You _took him_ away. _

_Him. Her husband. Her love. She hadn't taken him away. He had come to her willingly. Why did they hate her for this? _

_Still clutching her head in dire pain, Mrs. Takenouchi retaliated. I never took him away, she echoed. He came to me. He loved me. He—_

_She screamed, high-pitched, wailing. STOP! Stop hurting me! Even in her mind, she struggled with the words. Everything was going blurry, spinning, never stopping. Wouldn't stop, not 'til the pain did. Would the pain stop? _

_No, they replied. Cold. Better off without you. _

_Screaming, louder and louder, pain only intensifying. Why, why… you're killing me… _

_Could feel them grinning. Perfect. Out of the way, for good. The boy next. _

_The boy… Yamato. Mrs. Takenouchi wanted to scream out, cry the tears that wished to pour forth. But, nothing, except pain. But her voice was gone now, too weary. All she could do was gasp for air, hope for a miracle. _

_So little air, so much pain. _

_Laughter. Cruel, cold laughter. As if they were declaring something: these were not the beings she once knew. _

_Gasping for air now. Blurry, dark, spinning. Shots of pain. _

_Then his face, shining brilliantly before her. She smiled, reaching out to him. I love you, I'm sorry to let you down. I couldn't protect her, I couldn't. I'm sorry… _

_And his face smiled, that same smile she had loved, as if to say, don't worry. I love you. You did your best. I love you. Love you… _

_Pain fading, darkness enclosing her. She reached her hand toward his face, wanting to caress it, to feel him once more, to join him. Reaching, reaching… _

_Then dark. _

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

Realization struck him, like a lightening bolt to his brain. He nearly jumped to his feet, the tears stopping their flow immediately, and his eyes wide with horror and excitement. 

All at once he had heard the voice of Sora's mother, and in that moment, he had seen her in pain, seen her cry for him and for Sora—like a vision, a dreadfully horrible vision. She had fallen to the ground, in too much pain, too much pain… and then her voice was gone. 

However, the small voice, along with the 'vision' left him with a stunning realization of what he had to do. Reaching into his shirt, Yamato pulled out his own pendant, which he had almost forgotten in the chaos. Along with Sora's pendant, he held them both upward, like an offering to the stars. Impatiently he waited, for that same kind of magic to work that he had seen earlier… 

It didn't surprise him when the sky opened up for a second time, this time at his bidding. In fact, he grinned proudly, and silently thanked Sora's mother, wherever she might have been, just then. For a moment, he stopped, and wondered if he should find Mrs. Takenouchi—but quickly decided against it. It was too risky, there wasn't enough time. 

Taking a deep breath, Yamato put one foot in front of the other until he was inside the beam of light that came from the gash in the sky. And, almost immediately after doing so, he felt his two feet being lifted off the ground. He shut his eyes tight, his stomach suddenly turning with nausea. Higher and higher he felt himself lifted, almost as if he were a feather on an upward breeze. He clutched both the pendants in his hands, his blood pulsing rapidly, making his hands hurt. How long a trip was this, exactly? Already he wished to feel solid ground again. 

It was a few minutes later that he opened his eyes and realized that his upward flight had stopped. His jaw dropped as he surveyed the area. 

Dark blue, everywhere. Like what the night sky would be like, minus the stars. The stars! He had made it to where the stars dwelt… and yet, not a one of them was in sight. Curious, all sense of caution lost on him, Yamato took a step forward, not really noticing that there was no ground underfoot. It was solid, what did it matter? He continued forward, feeling his way around in the darkness. How could it be so dark? The stars were supposed to be here. 

And then, all at once, there was a light, brighter than he had seen before. Not bright enough to blind him; it was bright in the sense that it was something more wonderful, more holy than anything in existence. A soft glow so bright and holy, immediately he wanted to bend to his knees and bow his head in respect. However, something pushed him onward, a sense of foreboding that had delved itself deep in his heart.

So onward he went, drawing nearer and nearer to that soft light that was bright as the sun. A shape began to form itself as he drew closer, resembling something much like a building. He stopped to observe it for a moment. 

"A building…?" he murmured to himself, again drawing closer. No, not just a building. A shrine or a temple, it seemed, one with gigantic white pillars that stretched upward toward the darkness. Like a Greek temple that lived normally in myth, it stood before him, huge and white and beautiful. Yamato walked toward it, entranced. 

There were steps, not as huge as the pillars, but many. Yamato placed a foot on the first step, taking his other foot and placing it on the second, slowly making his way up. A daze was wearing on him, and he wasn't sure where or why his body was leading him, but he followed. This procession of one foot after the other led him to the final step, where he stopped himself (not he, in reality, but his body) on a white marble landing. His eyes trailed across the sleek floor, taking in his blurry reflection, until they fell upon something different; a few smaller steps led up to something looking very much like an altar, and upon it… 

Yamato held his breath, his eyes widening at the sight. 

On the altar… was… 

…Sora. 

Looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her, the orange-haired girl wore a dress made of cloth white as light itself, folds hanging over the edges of the small alter. Twisted in her hair were ribbons of the same color and radiance, making her face glow. Her face… 

Was unusually pale. Far too pale for Sora. Far too pale to be healthy. 

The blond-haired boy's eyes suddenly stung. Could… she be…? 

Immediately his legs pulled him into flight, forcing him to stumble clumsily up the stairs to reach the orange-haired girl now clad in radiant white. All the while his eyes stayed focused on her face, her frighteningly pale face. What had that man done to her? Why had they killed their own _goddess_…?! Finally he reached her, and immediately he bent over her, touching her face with a shaky hand. Don't be dead, don't be dead… 

He let out a long sigh of relief as he felt a small breath escape her lips. The blond boy slumped down next to the altar, feeling suddenly at a loss for energy, but feeling thoroughly relieved. He'd located Sora; he could take them both home in only a manner of seconds! He hadn't imagined it would be so easy. He smiled a little, and felt one of Sora's hands. He could find a doctor for her once they got home, and he could finally tell her how he… 

The music started in quietly, almost unnoticeably. If the boy's subconscious hadn't been on guard, he wouldn't have noticed it at all. He might have even fallen asleep, holding the hand of the orange-haired girl, one of her cold hands… 

Cold hands. 

Yamato rose to his feet once more, observing the girl's face more carefully. With horror welling inside him, he realized what was happening, what was about to happen. They had reduced Sora to a shell, a thing that simply lived. Drained of all her energy, the life that made her _Sora_.  And now they were on their way—chanting—to finish their job, make her their "Queen." 

The boy's breathing began coming in quick, sharp gasps. They were going to destroy Sora, and then destroy him. Horror, pure and terrible, filled his veins. Their music drew nearer, their hollow voices filling the endless void of their realm. Soon they would be upon him, and it would be all over. 

Thinking irrationally, Yamato grabbed the orange-haired girl by the shoulders and shook her with all the might inside him, commanding her over and over in a panic to wake up, wake up, Sora, wake up, we have to hurry, wake up… 

The music was so loud now. Yamato's eyes began to water, without permission. Tears poured down his cheeks as he hugged Sora to his chest, begging, pleading, screaming at her to wake up, please wake up… 

"…Ya…ma…to…" 

Her eyelashes fluttered open, slowly, to reveal a pair of dull, brown orbs that seemed not to focus on anything. Simply staring, as if blind, but seeing everything. 

Yamato stared down in disbelief at the girl in his arms. "Sora…" He murmured her name, loosening his grip around her. She was so cold, he realized, even through the layers of cloth she was wearing. So cold… The music drew nearer, and Yamato knew with a sudden sureness that they were upon him, that they knew he was there. And so he simply hugged the girl to himself, waiting until the moment that they came up those steps to worship their "Queen," their so-called savior… 

Did they really think that this lifeless girl they had taken could really save them…? 

The singing stopped, and so the footsteps began. Up the altar, not really a clatter, but a soft patter-patter of each individual foot up the steps. There had to be hundreds of them, Yamato thought, closing his eyes in anticipation. And once one of them gets up the steps… 

All noise stopped altogether, at once with a deep, harmonious hum. No feet, no music. But Yamato could feel them now, their cold eyes upon him as he stood near the altar, their "Queen" still in his arms. Their gazes dug into his back, making him shiver. He didn't want to face them, but knew he should. He opened his own eyes, and turned toward them. 

One of them grinned, something out of place on that cold, lifeless face. The one—a she, dressed in robes of the same color as Sora wore and a face as cold as ice—took a step toward him. 

"We knew you'd come," the Star woman said to him in a voice equally as cold as the polar ice cap itself. "And that's why—" she indicated to the hordes of others that stood behind her, and Yamato rose to his feet once more, reaching for a sword at his side that he knew wouldn't be there. "—we've prepared to kill you."

Their faces were malicious, filled with hate—for him. Why did they hate him? He pondered this as he took a step backward, at a loss. He bumped into the cold stone of the altar, nearly collapsing as he did so. Fear was coursing through him so strongly that it was weakening him, making his breath come in gasps and his eyes dart around. Why did these strange, cold people wish to kill him? Why him?! 

Without his mind's consent, one of his quivering hands reached behind him. The feel of her cold hand beneath his is what jolted his mind again, erasing a large amount of the horror inside him. There was this girl, cold and lifeless on an altar, and he submitting himself to his inevitable destruction. Without a fight. He turned to look at her, and realized that her eyes were dull as ever; he would have normally presumed someone in that condition dead, had he not been able to feel her short breaths on his wrist. He turned to glance at her. When he turned back, his stomach turned at the fresh looks of hatred he received from the Stars. 

"You dare touch her…" one of them—he couldn't see which—hissed furiously. There were murmurs of agreement among the many, and it was only then Yamato realized how many really surrounded him. Millions. There had to be, he could feel it. A sense of being trapped suddenly overwhelmed him, and he felt as if he were being strangled. _Millions_ of them… 

The female that had earlier spoken to him took a step forward menacingly, letting him know that, yes, he was definitely outnumbered. _Far_ outnumbered. 

"Why do you still stand there?" she asked him in a hiss, a sneer curling her upper lip. "Do you think you can protect her?" 

His voice jammed in his throats, and the words slipped out of his mind. What could he say to that? Yes, he intended to protect her, but… 

"It would be wise of you to give up," the transparent woman continued, sounding smugger than ever. "It is her _destiny_ to become our Queen. It is written in Prophecy." 

The Star woman's words struck him like a boulder. Destiny? Prophecy? Didn't they realize they were killing her? His mind was a jumble as he attempted to speak. "But…" The words caught in his throat like a lump of disagreeable food. He swallowed, but still the words would not come. 

The Stars grinned at him, clearly amused. His eyes darted about, and once more he swallowed. This time, the words found their way out, but barely. "You're wrong…" he told them, in a voice so small he could barely hear himself. However, the Stars seemed to hear it, and immediately took on the defensive. One of them—a man, this time, sad and transparent-looking—pushed through the crowd to stand by the woman. 

"What would a boy know about Prophecy?" he scorned. However, his words seemed to light something in Yamato, and he felt some of his fear melt away. 

"I know that…" He raised his voice, aware that he still sounded timid. "I know that what you're doing is wrong! You're forcing this to happen too quickly! You're—"

A wave of the hand from the woman cut him off. "Enough of this," she hissed, her dull eyes suddenly blazing. "You couldn't know anything. We need this girl, and we need her now. We've taken steps to insure our own safety—"

"But what about the safety of the others in this Universe?!" Yamato cried, feeling a deep hatred start to replace his fear. Were the Stars really so cold…? "They'll all die if you continue this—this _madness_!"

"Madness?" the woman scoffed. "I assure, _boy_, we are _quite_ sane."  She shrugged nonchalantly. In doing so, a glow surrounded her so brilliant, Yamato could only gawk._ This_ was the light the stars were made of… The others that surrounded her began to glow with the same light, nearly blinding the boy. And with a sudden, mind-consuming terror, Yamato knew what was about to happen. Blindly, without even a thought toward the action, he reached behind him and took one of the hands of the orange-haired girl in his own, and waited. 

The woman let out a high-pitched giggle as she raised a palm to face the blond boy, revealing a white ball of light—his death. "Who needs the Universe anyway?!" the woman nearly screamed, hurling the ball of light straight at the blond boy. 

The blow sent him to his knees, others following suit. He was beaten down to the ground, against the altar, his clothes ripping in several places. He felt that his bones would break, that _he_ would break as a whole if this kept up much longer. The Stars would not relent, however, not until they had insured his death. 

Feeling beaten, lost, he allowed the tears to pour down his cheeks as his heart broke. And raising his head to the darkness above him, he let out the most terrible cry the Universe had ever heard. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_"Sora… Sora, wake up!" _

_His gentle voice in her ear stirred her out of her dreams. He smiled when she had rubbed her eyes open to look at him. _

_"Papa?" the girl questioned sleepily, being only a small child still and not used to being woken up in the middle of the night. "What's wrong?" _

_Again her Papa smiled, and picked her up out of her bed. "Don't tell mommy," he said quietly, "But I want to show you something." _

_Warm in her Father's arms, she consented, excited and awake, now. She giggled to herself, wondering what it might be that her Papa would want to show her in the middle of the night. She snuggled against him as he brought her outside on the porch that went out from their living room. Gently the man set her on her feet, kneeling down next to her and putting a warm arm around her shoulders. _

_"Look up, Sora," he told her, and she did so. Her jaw dropped at the night sky. It was so bright and beautiful! She told her Papa this and he nodded. _

_"Of course it is," he responded, and hugged her around her tiny shoulders. "Just for you, my little one." _

_Her eyes refused to blink as she stared upward in awe. Just for her…? Were the stars really that bright just for her? She looked to her Papa to ask him about this, but he was gone, replaced by someone new and just as warm. _

_"They really are bright in Autumn, aren't they?" Yamato questioned, his bright blue eyes reflecting the night sky. Sora fingered the pendant about her neck—the one he had given her—and smiled. _

_"Yes they are," she responded automatically. "And they're beautiful too, aren't they?" _

_But his eyes were no longer on the stars, but on her. She could feel her cheeks turning warm with color as his piercing blue eyes gazed at her—_in_to her. So she turned her eyes back to the stars, not wanting to look into those eyes anymore. _

_However, when she looked back to the stars, she suddenly felt sick and dizzy inside. The stars had made her dizzy? A twinkle in one of them told her 'yes.' They had been the ones to make her ill. If she became ill, her mother would become hopeless and entrust her to them. It would all work out; she could come live with them. _

_Why are you…? She tried to question them, but found herself unable. All she found was a deep trust in them. They knew what they were doing. They wouldn't hurt her. She trusted them, more than anything. Even if they were the ones making her sick, she trusted them… _

_Abruptly, she fainted, only to be caught by someone warm. She smelled flowers, and immediately associated the scent with her mother. _

_Turning her head, she found that her mother had tears in her eyes. "You'll be all right, Sora," the dark-haired woman said. "I'll find some way to help you. I promise you'll be all right." _

_"Help… me…?" Sora questioned weakly. "But… what's wrong with me…?" _

_There was no reply, however; her mother was gone, replaced by darkness. The orange-haired girl stood, feeling woozy and disoriented. Where was she? Why was it so dark? Where were her Stars? _

_A light appeared in front of her, and in that light was a man looking very much like her father. However, Sora knew this time… that wasn't her father. How could she be so easily tricked? The man reached out a hand toward her—a cold hand—and, without thinking, Sora took it. _

_Immediately she heard a voice screaming out her name. It was familiar, and yet… Who? In this man's grasp, she couldn't think of who it was. This man… her father… who was calling her? _

_A blond boy appeared before her, his arms outstretched toward her, tears glimmering in his perfect blue eyes. "Sora!" he called desperately, sounding forlorn. "Sora! Wake up!" _

_She stared at him, realizing only then that she was no longer in the man's grip. Him gone, the thought suddenly registered—but she still felt weak… so weak… _

_"Ya... ma… to…?" she murmured, finding that she could no longer stand, much less speak. She was so tired; she just wanted to sleep forever. Where had all her energy gone? _

_The blond boy was suddenly surrounded by light, and he stood in front of her, quivering with fear. Where had all the light come from? The boy reached back and took one of her suddenly limp hands—she could feel against his warm hand that her hand was cold. Why was she so cold? _

_And suddenly a ball of light struck the boy in the chest, and then another. He fell to his knees, weeping, continuously calling her name. His hand, however, continued to clutch her own, his warm grip never letting up. Again and again he was struck with that same, powerful light, his clothes tearing in different places all over. She wanted them to stop. Them, she realized, was the Stars themselves, the light that menacingly surrounded the boy. They were the ones pounding him with light, tearing apart his clothes… killing him. _

_Her stars were killing Yamato. _

_He let out a horrifying, desperate cry, so terrible Sora had never heard the like. Her head reeled and spun, and then all at once… _

Her eyes fluttered open.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

All at once the pain stopped, and with it, so did everything else. Curious, too weak to be terrified anymore, Yamato slowly opened his eyes to peer around him. The Stars still stood about him, their hands still raised as if to strike him again, but they no longer had their lights surrounding them. They simply stood frozen in place, eyes focused on the same thing. Questions buzzing through his mind now, Yamato trailed their gazes back to the altar, where Sora lay. 

Awake. 

Painfully, all sense of caution lost on him, Yamato inched his way to his knees and turned to face the orange-haired girl. He noted with a well-worn sadness that her eyes were duller than before. Though he still felt pain in every part of his body, the blond boy managed to raise himself to his feet. The girl's almost lifeless eyes followed him, though it almost seemed as if they were not really seeing him. 

"Ya… ma…" 

The task of speaking seemed almost too much for the girl. Yamato looked around at the Stars to see if any of them had noticed her speak. However, none out of the millions of them had moved so much as a centimeter, looking, for the very life of them, terrified. Why would they possibly be frightened? Yamato wondered, his eyes widening in disbelief at all of them. Are they afraid of Sora…? 

"…ma…to…" 

Her tiny voice caught the attention of the blond boy once more. Turning back, he found that her eyes met his immediately. Looking into her eyes suddenly made the blond boy shiver with fright. There was something in her eyes… 

Yamato recalled when his grandmother died, when he was still very young. He remembered looking into the eyes of that kind, old woman in her last hours. Dull eyes, on the verge of lifelessness. The eyes of the dying life form. 

Death was what was in Sora's eyes. His heart suddenly skipping a few beats, Yamato realized this. Grief swept over him, though no tears came, and he pulled the girl to him, burying his face into her neck and her hair. 

"What's happening to you…?" he whispered, so only she could hear—if indeed she really could. "_Why_ is this happening to you…?" 

"…You're…" Yamato turned to look into her face, surprised by the sudden change in her voice. She sounded almost stronger that time. "You're… warm…" 

Despite himself, the blond-haired boy managed a weak smile. "Am I…?" he questioned, the smile fading almost immediately. "Funny… I don't feel warm inside." 

The girl attempted to raise a hand, perhaps to touch his face, but the hand fell listlessly back to her side, as if getting it that far had used up much energy. Yamato wasn't surprised if it had, considering how weak she was. He tightened his arms around her, and in doing so, caused something to fall out of his shirt. 

The pendant caught Sora's attention immediately, and, struggling, she smiled. "The pendant…" she commented, gazing at it with what might have been warmth, had her eyes not held that terrible dullness. Suddenly remembering, Yamato released the girl with one arm and reached into a pocket. Sure enough, the pendant that he had given to the girl was there. Still supporting her with one arm, Yamato managed to put the necklace around the girl's thin neck, fastening it tightly so that it would not fall off again, as it had earlier. 

It was only once one of her delicate fingers touched his face that the boy realized tears were there. Without his consent, the tears had begun to silently pour forth down his pale face, falling onto his shirt and staining it. He mentally scolded himself for doing something as useless as crying so often. Crying wouldn't do anything, not at all… 

Without realizing it, one of his tears fell onto Sora's own cheek, trickling down as if it had been her tear, not his. Automatically, Yamato wiped it away for her, knowing she was probably too weak to do so herself. His hand lingered on her cold face, noting that, despite the coldness, her face was still soft and full of beauty. 

The girl's lip suddenly quivered, and she sobbed, wetness flowing from her eyes and onto her cheeks. Yamato watched her in silence, afraid to say anything. Her onslaught of tears was so sudden, he found himself unable to do anything but hold her tighter. 

"Yamato…" the orange-haired girl whispered. "I don't… want to be here anymore…!" 

She rested her head against his chest, her tears soaking into his shirt where his own tears had dried. Instinctively the boy stroked her hair, still at a loss of anything to say. 

Behind him there was silence, still. Suddenly curious, Yamato turned to look behind him. The Stars still stood there, each one of them wearing disbelief on their faces. A few of them looked close to crying themselves. The blond boy knew what was on each and every one of their minds, and nodded to them gravely. 

Yes, their "queen" really was that weak. 

Footsteps sounded again, this time quieter, as a few of the Stars shuffled backwards, unable to stay there any longer. Why, why was their queen—their _goddess_—being so weak? Was it just as the boy had told them…? In a manner of minutes, many of them were gone, leaving a select few to surround the boy around the altar. Many of them stood staring in disbelief at the weeping girl, but one set of cold eyes met with Yamato's. 

"We thought she could help us," the Star woman said coldly. "But she is so weak…" 

"Of course she's weak…" Yamato responded, his eyes intent on the woman's cold face. "She's only a girl. She doesn't know how to be what you need her to be. All she knows is to live… and now you're taking that away from her." 

The woman's cold eyes suddenly softened and wavered as if something were sweeping over her. Looking around, Yamato realized that the eyes of the other Stars were softening, also. With wonder, the blond boy watched as all of them backed down the steps, as a different set of feet made their way upward. A man appeared at the top of the stairs, facing Yamato with an expression as grave as death itself. The man wore clothes highly contrasting to that of the stars; robes of bright red, orange, yellow, white. What caught Yamato's attention, however, was the chain he wore about his neck for, attached to that chain, was a pendant much like the one he and Sora wore. 

The man, without looking away from Yamato, barked an order at the Stars. "Go," he said, his voice deep and resonating. With a start, Yamato realized that this brightly-clad man must be the _Sun_, the father of the Stars. The Stars meekly turned and walked away, keeping their heads low and looking, for the life of them, like five-year-olds after being yelled at for running across the street without looking both ways. His eyes focused back on the Sun, however, as he took a step forward. 

The boy tightened his grip on Sora, who he barely noticed had stopped crying. He wondered if she noticed the Sun in front of them, and if she were as terrified as he was. 

"Give her to me," the Sun ordered, but not as harshly has he had spoken to the Stars. Yamato only tightened his grip on the girl in defiance. 

"What will you do to her?" he demanded, though somewhat unsure of himself. The great aura the Sun carried with him was enough to bring any normal person to their knees. The Sun's terrifying eyes, a mix of all the colors he wore, bore into him. 

"I will save her," the Sun responded, as if the task were something he did every day. "You realize she is dying, don't you?" 

"It's because of _them_," the blond boy spat. "They made her sick and brought her here!" Fear was lost on him now. "Why didn't you stop them?!" 

The man's eyes softened, suddenly, as if he now understood the boy's plight. He took in a breath and let it out, slowly. "Do you not think I tried to stop them?" he asked the blond boy patiently. "In Autumn I become weak, for I am farther away from the Earth. With me weakened, my children almost have more power than I do." He suddenly put on a wry smile. "There's also that little sickness called corruption, something too much focus on old lore and prophecy can invoke. Since I cannot alter prophecy, it was harder to stop my children in their decision to take that girl." 

Yamato's azure eyes trailed back to the girl he held so protectively in his arms. Her eyes were still open, but they were still dull and staring. There was a long pause, one in which there was no noise and neither Yamato nor the Sun spoke. 

"If you give her to me, I will make her well again," the Sun finally said, his deep voice floating on the air. "She has power—immense power. I can make her well and put that power inside her to use." 

Taking this in, Yamato's heart sank. "She won't… be coming back with me…" he wondered. "Will she?" 

"Not if she is to live, boy," the Sun said, taking on his air of cool impatience again. He put forth a hand in offering to Yamato. "Or would you rather have her die, because of you?" 

Sora stirred in Yamato's arms, causing the boy to look down at her again. Her eyes were sparkling with tears once more, and she refused to look at him as she spoke. "I don't… want to… go anywhere…" she said weakly, her voice barely audible. "I want to… stay with you…" 

The boy's eyes widened with disbelief, and he shook his head at her. Was she serious? Did she really wish to die? "Sora, you'll die if don't go with him!" Yamato said in a shaky voice that sounded much different than his own. "I don't want you to die…" 

A few tears fell from her eyes as she tilted her head downward, as if to study something. She let out a stifled sob. "But… I…" 

"It is her decision," the Sun said suddenly, in a softer voice than before. "If she wishes to stay here, then let it be so. It does not make a difference to me, or the Stars, who will receive a thorough punishment, come the Spring season." 

"Sora…" Yamato murmured, his voice quivering. "Please, don't do this!" 

The Sun turned, as if to go. As he did so, Yamato finally felt that all really was lost. Despite the fact that he knew the safety of the Universe was insured, now that the Stars knew how weak Sora really was, all was lost if Sora were gone. 

"Sora, please!" Yamato cried desperately. "You have to go with him! You can't die!" 

A rueful smiled played the girl's pale lips. "Won't it… be the same…" she murmured, the tears in her eyes building up but not coming out. "If… I never see you again… won't I be dead to you anyway…?" 

Her eyelids began to close, and immediately Yamato panicked. He shook her fiercely, forcing her to keep her eyes open so he could at least see part of those dull brown orbs that still sparkled with tears that would not come out. 

The boy's own tears poured out once again; he was surprised he wasn't all dried out. "Sora!" he cried, his tears falling on his shirt, and her face. "You can't die! You won't die! I… Sora…!" Sobbing uncontrollably, he buried his face in her neck and her hair again, saying the same things over and over again. Unnoticed by him, the pendants both of them wore began to glow again. 

"I'm… sorry…" the orange-haired girl whispered, sounding weaker than ever. Yamato raised her so he could look into her eyes, those dull brown orbs, once more. They were partly closed, and in them the glitter of death was almost overwhelming. Looking into them at that moment, the blond-haired boy felt something consuming him, delving itself into his very heart. 

And in a moment that felt like foolish, blissful madness, Yamato pressed his lips against hers. 

The feeling that overtook him was like nothing he had felt, or could ever describe easily. In that moment, it felt as if everything turned completely upside-down, and that he was melting. In the process of this melting, he seemed to feel Sora melting, also, but melting into him. A shock ran through his body—and Sora's, he realized he could feel—and set him almost to screaming. But, no, he wouldn't let go of her. Never again would he let go of her. He held onto that melting kiss, pouring his entire being—everything he had left in him—into that single kiss. He could feel Sora inside him, could feel her heartbeat, her breathing, her fear of what was to happen to her. He could feel every emotion that passed through her—as if they were the same being. He held on to all that was Sora, and savored it. 

What had earlier been a small shock turned into a large one, and Yamato suddenly wanted to cry out in pain. The shock ran through Sora and himself, more painful than anything he had ever felt, even more painful than what the Stars had done to him. He held Sora tighter, closer, realizing that as he held her, she felt safer. He would take care of her, she knew with assurance. Despite the pain that coursed through both of them, he would take care of her. That's why she loved him, her protector. 

Blackness suddenly surrounded them, and both wondered if it were death, come to take them away. However, neither Yamato nor Sora cared very much. They were together, finally together, and they loved… 

Unnoticed by both of them, the pendants they had worn around their necks suddenly cracked and shattered into millions of tiny pieces. With the pendants, and noticed by the entire Universe, two Prophecies suddenly vanished. 

And blissful darkness suddenly consumed them both. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sora opened her eyes, the beautiful light of morning shining about her, illuminating the grass she lay on. Beside her, Yamato lay with his eyes closed, breathing softly. Briefly, Sora wondered what they were doing out there, in the grass in some place she hoped wasn't too public. If someone were to see both of them just lying there…!

Though her very bones ached and protested the action, Sora sorely raised herself on one elbow and nudged the blond boy on the shoulder. He stirred, but did not wake. She shook him with as much strength as she had in her, then, finding some energy in the small bit of early morning sun that shone around them. Yamato did open his eyes this time, blinking a few times, and then focusing his tired eyes on Sora. Immediately he shot up, and Sora nearly fell over when he engulfed her in a crushing hug. 

"Sora, you're alive!" he breathed, burying his face in that place between neck and hair, causing the girl to blush. "I can't believe that we're both alive!" 

Before she could respond, he was kissing her, on her lips, first, then all over her face; her cheeks, her nose, her eyelids, her forehead. Like some puppy after having been lost for days and finally finding its master. He kissed her lips a second time, this time longer, and it all came rushing back to Sora, all the memories of what had transpired among the stars. Coldness found its way into the pit of her stomach, but just as soon evaporated. She was alive, and Yamato was with her. What had she to worry about anymore? 

Feeling warm inside again, she pulled away from the blond boy, resting her head against his chest as he put his arms around her, his lips against her soft orange hair. They stayed like that for as long as they dared before the sun became too high. Rising, Yamato pulled Sora up with him, carefully, as if she would break. He put a protective arm around her shoulders and used another hand to steady her. Remembering something, Sora led the boy along. 

"I have to find my mother," she commented. "She's probably worried to death by now…" 

It was later in the day, almost toward nightfall, that Sora found her choice of words to be horribly accurate. The girl's auburn-haired mother they found by her father's grave, a cold, lifeless hand outstretched toward the gravestone. Though she grieved, Sora was not surprised by this, and instead of weeping, she laid a hand on her mother's cheek. Immediately, the still form of the woman began to glow, then sparkle, then… disappear. Sora watched in awe as some of the shining dust that had been her mother's body ascended, spiraling upwards toward the sky that was gradually turning into night. 

"She's going to where father is," Sora said respectfully, watching as the first star found its way into the night sky. Yamato stared at her in disbelief and awe, then also watched the star. It twinkled for a moment, then dulled as another star joined it close by. Both smiled. 

"Perhaps…" Yamato murmured, pulling Sora close to him. "Perhaps this is all fate. Maybe everything that's happened, even though some of it's been awful, was meant to happen." He pecked Sora on the lips and pulled away, smiling despite himself. "I mean, in the long run, hasn't everything turned out okay?" He glanced at the two stars, which had just been joined by several others. "You're mother's probably happy where she is right now, where she can always keep an eye on you." 

All at once, tears began to pour from the orange-haired girl's lively, no longer dull eyes. She rested her head on Yamato's chest, where he held her until she was finished. 

"Fate…" she murmured after a period of silence, staying close to the blond boy for all the warmth and love that came from him. She could hear his heartbeat, faintly, but it was there, as if it were inside of there. She noted with a deep but brief interest that her own heartbeat went at the same rhythm as his, and smiled. "Fate… makes sense to me." 

And for the rest of the night, neither of them spoke a word, the silence comfortable between them as they watched the two stars among the many, which appeared brighter than all the others. Occasionally those stars would flicker, as if in greeting to the pair who watched them, and would continue to watch them every night. And after a short time, the two ran away together to a small cottage, where the two stars were brighter than ever before. For a long time afterward, both were content to be with each other, their matching heartbeats a fine proof of their love. 

So for a long, long time, they simply lived and continued to live until they could live no longer, never again see an Autumn sky sparkled with stars. 

But until that time, they lived. 

Happily. 

^ ^ ^

Thanks to all those readers who managed to stick with this story long enough to see its end. I is proud o' you. And also a big, big apology for making you wait so long to see its end, also. Was it worth the wait? Inspiration does not come easy to me, unfortunately, so I hope so. It was a lot of work, but all of your encouragement (those who reviewed and sent me e-mails--THANK YOU!!!!) kept me going. ^_^! and thanks specifically to all those who visit me site's oekaki board on a regular basis. And all those who sent me pretty pictures based on the fic (GundamNymph!! Blue Tears!! *hugs*). Oh, and anybody who ever wrote a Sorato—specifically, Soratos in large numbers (points accusingly at Kawaii L'il Lia J!). You guys make my day bright and shiny. 

And even though this is over, please review? I'd like to know that all my work went somewhere. ^^; thank you, all! 

Oh yes, and a very special thanks to Yoko Kanno, who made the oh-so-inspiring Escaflowne soundtrack. Helped me loads to get in the writing mood. *pops in Escaflowne tapes* weehee! 

And finally… 

~***_FIN_***~   ß 'cause it amuses me to no ends

Tekno Danish J! 


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